HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Timber

Barry Gardiner: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission by what means the House's policy on purchasing timber and timber products ensures that they are obtained from legal and sustainable sources.

Archy Kirkwood: The General Specification used for Parliamentary works includes the following clause:
	"Sources of timber: it is the employer's policy to purchase only timber products from sustainably managed sources. When requested, the contractor must submit to the project manager documentary evidence (which has been or can be independently verified) that the timber supplied under this contract has been lawfully obtained from forests and plantations which are managed to sustain their bio-diversity, productivity and vitality and to prevent harm to other ecosystems and any indigenous or forest-dependent people."

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Cote d'Ivoire

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to prevent conflict reoccurring in Cote D'Ivoire.

Chris Mullin: I have been asked to reply.
	The UK fully supports the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement (LMA) as the basis for sustainable peace in Cote d'Ivoire. Our engagement has included £3 million to support the work of the European Community of West African States Mission in Cote d'Ivoire (ECOMICI), the West African regional peacekeeping force. We have also provided £1 million in humanitarian aid. We have been concerned at the growing fragility of the peace process since September, including attempts by armed elements to cross the ceasefire line on 29 November. We are working closely with the French and others in the international community to urge continued respect for the ceasefire; underline the importance of the government of National Reconciliation meeting again in full; and of swift progress on implementation of the LMA, including measures for disarmament and demobilisation.

EU Development Assistance

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with his counterparts in EU accession countries about an increased focus on (a) poor countries and (b) poverty reduction in future EU development assistance.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: EU Enlargement should be an opportunity to mobilise even greater support for the Millennium Development Goals and a pro-poor development agenda.
	During the informal meeting of EU Development Ministers in Trieste, where many of my accession colleagues were present, broad development policy issues were discussed. I will also be meeting a number of my counterparts from key Accession Countries after the New Year to stress the importance of securing wider agreement on poverty reduction as the central objective of EU development assistance.

EU Development Assistance

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is towards the proportion of European Union Development Assistance that should go to low income countries.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID has consistently pressed for the proportion of EC overseas development assistance spent in low income countries to reach the level of 70 per cent. The target date for this achievement is 2006.
	According to the available provisional figures, over 50 per cent. of all EC overseas development assistance was spent in low income countries in 2002. This represents an increase in this proportion for the second year running.

EU Development Assistance

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with his colleagues in the European Union about the (a) nature and (b) extent of EU assistance for middle income countries.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: During the Trieste informal meeting of EU Development Ministers last October, I had an opportunity to share our current thinking on how best to allocate Community aid between countries. In this context, I reiterated the importance of allocating Community aid to countries based on needs and performance, and to seek a greater differentiation between the development instruments we use in low versus middle income countries.
	In practice, this would imply a larger share of EC overseas development assistance going to low income countries, and a focus of allocations to middle income countries on those with large number of poor people which pursue reformist policies. It would also mean an increased use of instruments such as concessional lending and technical assistance in middle income countries.
	I have also discussed this bilaterally with some UK members of the European Parliament during the autumn.

CABINET OFFICE

Projects (St. Helens)

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which projects have been (a) wholly and (b) partly funded by his Department in St. Helens since 1997; when each project was announced; when it started or was expected to start; what funding was provided by (i) Government and (ii) a third party; what third party provided funding; what the target group of the project was; what the projected outcome of the project was; and what the name of the project was.

Douglas Alexander: The Cabinet Office works with all Government Departments to help deliver key public service priorities and leads the reform programme for public services.
	The Cabinet Office has funded no projects in St. Helens since 1997.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Hutton Inquiry

David Cameron: To ask the Solicitor-General what steps the Law Officers have taken in the light of the ruling by Mr. Justice Tomlinson in District Council and others v. The Governor and company of the Bank of England to ensure that documents given to the Hutton Inquiry but not released on the grounds of legal advice privileged are published.

Harriet Harman: The Law Officers have taken no steps in relation to the publication of any documents disclosed to the Hutton Inquiry.

Hutton Inquiry

David Cameron: To ask the Solicitor-General what discussions were held between the Attorney-General's office and the Hutton Inquiry about which documents disclosed to the Hutton Inquiry should not be made public; and what reasons were given by the Government in each case.

Harriet Harman: None.

TRANSPORT

Arun Valley Rail Upgrade

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) status, (b) start date and (c) expected completion date is of the Arun Valley rail upgrade.

Kim Howells: The Arun Valley upgrade was proposed by GoVia as part of their plans for a 20 year franchise. The Strategic Rail Authority subsequently agreed a shorter franchise with GoVia. The development of infrastructure upgrades will be taken forward by the SRA separately from franchise replacements. The focus currently is on the major upgrade of the power supply in the Southern Region. The Strategic Rail Authority has developed a Capacity Utilisation Policy which seeks to make the most efficient use of the existing network. Work on a Route Utilisation Strategy for the Brighton Main Line has begun. This will help to inform the need for any future infrastructure upgrades.

Community/Voluntary Transport Projects

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to encourage (a) community and (b) voluntary sectors in the transport field.

Tony McNulty: The Department for Transport greatly values the contribution that the voluntary and community sector makes in the transport field and is committed to the Government wide Compact on working with the voluntary sector. The Department has produced a draft Strategy and Action Plan detailing how it will work with and engage the sector over the coming year and we are currently consulting on that draft.
	The Department has also set up a Compact working group with membership drawn from the voluntary and community sector to progress this work and to help us ensure that we have a clear understanding of their issues and priorities.

Community/Voluntary Transport Projects

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what support his Department is giving to voluntary organisations in the transport sector.

Tony McNulty: The Department for Transport directly supports voluntary organisations in a number of ways. For example, it funds the information and advice service provided by the Community Transport Association. The CTA provides an extensive service to community transport operators and local authorities on a range of legal and operational issues. The Department also publishes guidance on the type of services that can be run and the legal framework for them. The Department also provides funding for 12 mobility centres in England, which give information and advice to disabled and older people on driving and other aspects of personal mobility and to Mobility Choice, the charity that runs the annual Mobility Roadshow.
	In addition, funding the rural and urban bus challenge enables the Department to aid schemes run by community transport groups and last year regulations were introduced to extend the Bus Service Operators Grant.

Energy Saving Trust

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding is allocated to the Cleanup project operated by the Energy Saving Trust in the current financial year; and how much has been spent in this financial year.

David Jamieson: In the current financial year, take-up of CleanUp grants has been strong, and the year's resources have been fully allocated. However, if existing offers are not fully taken up, the resources will be allocated to organisations or individuals whose grant applications have been placed on the CleanUp waiting list
	The CleanUp budget for the financial year 2003–04 is £12.562 million and as of the end of October the Department for Transport had paid the Energy Savings Trust £7.835m for the CleanUp programme.

Debt

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many claims for statutory interest payments have been submitted to private companies under the terms of the Late Payment of Debt Act 1998; how many claims were met; and what the total value was of such payments in each year since the Act has been in operation.

Tony McNulty: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Small Business and Enterprise (Nigel Griffiths) on 3 December 2003, Official Report, column 102W.

Legislation

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pages of (a) primary and (b) secondary legislation his Department put through Parliament in 2002–03.

Kim Howells: My Department sponsored one Bill in the 2002–03 session which comprised 92 pages once enacted.
	In the case of secondary legislation my Department was responsible for the making of 127 General Statutory Instruments which would have subject to consideration by either the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments or the Select Committee on Statutory Instruments. These instruments made a total of 1,264 pages.

Light Dues

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much revenue from light dues has been collected from ships calling at ports in (a) Scotland, (b) the Isle of Man, (c) England and Wales, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) the Republic of Ireland in each of the last five financial years.

David Jamieson: The information requested is given in the following table.
	
		£
		
			  1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Scotland 8,034,124.92 8,929,663.47 9,110,457.12 8,536,210.39 7,270,783.41 
			 Isle of Man 44,424.38 20,635.93 19,012.13 19,400.57 26,074.60 
			 England and Wales 54,942,311.20 55,756,005.50 57,923,611.28 62,489,782.79 60,343,913.47 
			 Northern Ireland 617,011.16 662,503.18 599,414.51 662,195.49 637,721.11 
			 R.O.I (Customs and Excise) 3,131,480.85 3,464,779.82 3,416,674.55 3,077,673.30 3,363,729.90 
			 Total 66,769,352.51 68,833,587.90 71,069,169.59 74,785,262.54 71,642,222.49 
		
	
	The figures above are for General Light dues and does not include income from UK fishing vessels and tugs.
	The figures do not include any light dues refunds that were made.
	The figures for ROI are shown in sterling converted at an exchange rate based on the Bank of England average for each month. Pre-conversion figures shown as follows.
	
		R.O.I (Customs and Excise)
		
			  Figures 
		
		
			 1998–99 3,597,474.41 
			 1999–2000 4,246,163.66 
			 2000–01 4,396,335.39 
			 2001–02 4,144,997.18 
			 2002–03 5,268,090.44

Light Dues

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what financial contribution in (a) sterling, (b) euros and (c) punts has been made by the Irish Government under the terms of the 1985 agreement for the sharing of certain costs incurred by the Commissioners of Lights in the Republic of Ireland in each of the last five years.

David Jamieson: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		Irish Government contributions for years 1997–98 to 2001–02
		
			 Financial years Sterling Euros Punts 
		
		
			 1997–98 1,815,847 2,556,153 2,013,134 
			 1998–99 1,448,449 2,317,770 1,825,392 
			 1999–2000 1,146,745 1,811,703 1,426,832 
			 2000–01 1,307,234 2,110,825 1,662,410 
			 2001–02(1) 2,063,889 3,214,780 2,531,845 
		
	
	(1) Conversion rate of euro to sterling used was the Bank of Ireland mid December 2002 rate of 0.6420.
	Note:
	Ir punts ceased as a currency on 1 January 2002.

London Underground

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many defects there were on each line on the London Underground in each year between 1990 and 2003;
	(2)  how many equipment breakdowns there were on the London Underground in each year between 1990 and 2003, broken down by line.

Tony McNulty: London Underground transferred from Central Government to Transport for London on 15 July. These are operational matters for London Underground, but it does not hold the data in the format requested.

M20

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contribution the Highways Agency will make to the cost of building Junction 10A of the M20 and new roads to serve it; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The overall cost currently estimated for the scheme is £46 million. The Highways Agency will be seeking funding from developers to meet the cost of those elements of the scheme needed to provide access to development sites in Ashford.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency budget was spent on (a) coastguard, (b) ship inspectors, (c) depots and (d) emergency towing vessels in each of the last five years.

David Jamieson: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency's expenditure is set out in the following table:
	
		£000
		
			  Coastguard Ship inspectors Accommodation Emergency towing vessels 
		
		
			  Resource accounts 
			 2003–04 56,192 25,769 6,631 10,843 
			 2002–03 53,346 25,072 6,071 11,050 
			 2001–02 43,226 28,750 6,221 6,875 
			  Cash accounts 
			 2000–01 44,800 18,955 6,466 6,774 
			 1999–2000 45,922 15,473 6,529 5,742 
		
	
	Note:
	The Resource Accounts figures include depreciation and capital charge which are not included within the Cash Accounts outturns.

Mobile Telephones

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the banning of mobile telephones whilst driving.

David Jamieson: The Department has received many representations on the use of mobile phones while driving. The vast majority has been broadly in favour of a ban on the use of hand-held phones by drivers. There were over 1,000 responses to the Department's consultation document of 20 August 2002 on this. The results of that consultation were summarised in a document attached to the Department's decision letter of 24 June 2003. A copy was placed in the Library and is available on-line at: www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft rdsafety/documents/page/dft rdsafety 508356.pdf

Pedestrian Deaths

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pedestrian deaths in road accidents there were where the pedestrian had over 100 mgs of alcohol per 100 mls of blood in each of the last six years; and what percentage of all pedestrian road accident deaths in (a) England and (b) each region this represents in each case.

David Jamieson: Information on the blood alcohol levels of pedestrians is available for less than half of those who died in road accidents. The following table shows the percentage of fatally injured pedestrians aged 16 or over with a blood alcohol level of over 100 mg/100 ml out of those for whom a blood alcohol level has been provided by the Coroners.
	
		Percentage
		
			 Region 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Total 
		
		
			 Northern 54 31 50 29 50 30 41 
			 Yorks/Humberside 34 37 33 33 28 31 33 
			 East Midlands 31 38 44 39 39 29 38 
			 Eastern 37 33 31 46 33 27 35 
			 South East 33 35 52 41 29 42 38 
			 Greater London 23 25 25 25 22 38 27 
			 South West 21 30 43 29 19 50 32 
			 West Midlands 24 32 21 35 44 43 32 
			 North West 35 22 29 44 28 29 31 
			 England 33 31 34 36 31 35 33

Ports

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Government has spent on UK port infrastructure in each of the past 10 years; what estimates have been made of future expenditure; and what steps are being taken to increase capacity.

David Jamieson: My Department has awarded the following freight infrastructure grants to ports over the last 10 years, including Strategic Rail Authority grants awarded for rail infrastructure projects at ports in England and Wales. Freight grants awarded by the Scottish Executive is a matter for the Scottish Parliament.
	
		DfT freight infrastructure grants to ports 1993–94 to 2002–03
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 2002–03(2) 7.8 
			 2001–02(3) 11.6 
			 2000–01 16.0 
			 1999–2000 1.4 
			 1998–99 0.7 
			 1997–98 2.9 
			 1993–94 to 1996–97 nil 
		
	
	(2) Includes Freight Facilities Grants awarded in 2002
	(3) Includes Freight Facilities Grants awarded in 2001.
	Information on future spending on UK port infrastructure is not available. The Government do not initiate proposals for port development and considers applications from the ports themselves as and when they are submitted.

Rail (East Yorkshire)

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has for improvements in rail transport in East Yorkshire.

Kim Howells: The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) is creating two new franchises to serve Yorkshire. The TransPennine Express franchise will commence early next year, with planned investment of around £260 million which will include a new fleet of trains. Local and regional services will be provided by the new 'Northern' franchise, the competition for which is well under way. The SRA is considering proposals from four counterparties and expects to announce a preferred bidder in the Spring. The SRA will consult on an East Coast Main Line Strategy early next year, and has announced a series of Regional Planning Assessments (RPAs) to form the basis for planning rail services over the next 5–20 years. The RPA for Yorkshire and the Humber is planned for publication in Winter 2005.

Road Noise

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what targets are in place for noise reduction on the motorway and trunk road network; and whether they are on course to be met.

David Jamieson: The target stated in the 10-Year Plan for the reduction of noise from the motorway and trunk road network is that 60 per cent. of the network including all concrete roads will be surfaced with quieter surfacing by March 2011. All resurfacing work now uses quieter surfacing, and work is proceeding in line with maintenance need.

Road Noise

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list (a) the schedule of planned noise reduction improvements for the motorway and trunk road network, (b) the average level of noise in the area of those improvements and (c) the number of people affected by above acceptable noise levels in those areas.

David Jamieson: The Secretary of State announced on 1 April 2003 a programme of measures to reduce the impact of traffic noise. Details were placed in the Library of the House together with details of the criteria used for prioritisation. We do not use the average levels of noise over a wide area as a criterion. However, the measures indicated in the 10-Year Plan to surface approximately 60 per cent. of the strategic road network with quieter surfaces, including all of the concrete trunk roads and motorways, by March 2011 are expected to provide the benefit of significant reductions in the level of traffic noise for approximately three million people.

Runways (South-east)

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will set out the basis on which alternative proposals for the development of runway capacity in the South East were selected for further appraisal; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will list the proposals which have been (a) submitted to and (b) appraised by, his Department as alternative runway development options since the publication of The Future Development of Air Transport in the UK, South East, Second Edition.

Tony McNulty: All serious, worked-up proposals submitted to us that are alternatives to, or variants of, options set out in The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom, South East consultation document, have been appraised. These are:
	the Thames Reach proposal for a new airport in North Kent
	the Marinair proposal for an island airport in the Thames Estuary
	a proposal for a new airport on the Isle of Sheppey
	a proposal for a new airport at Goodwin Sands in East Kent
	a proposal to develop Redhill aerodrome
	the London Oxford proposal for a new airport near Abingdon in Oxfordshire

Runways (South-east)

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to public funds to date has been of work undertaken on appraising alternative options to those set out in the consultation paper for runway development in the South East.

Tony McNulty: We are not able at present to identify separately the costs of work in relation to appraisal of alternative options and all other work relating to the preparation of the White Paper.

Safety Camera Partnerships

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the current guideline handbook issued to safety camera partnerships.

David Jamieson: The latest draft of the Handbook of Rules to the safety camera netting off scheme has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

South Central Trains

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans there are for (a) investment in and (b) the rebuilding of stations within the South Central Region.

Kim Howells: Under the new franchise agreement signed in May a number of improvements will be made on South Central stations involving new ticket issuing equipment and ticket machines. Subject to the availability of funding, further investment will also be considered under national programmes such as the Modern Facilities at Stations (MFAS) scheme and the Access For All Fund. For the future, the SRA's Regional Planning Assessment for Southern England, publication of which is expected in spring 2005, will form the basis of rail service planning in the region, including how the SRA may contribute to station improvement schemes where they represent value for money and are affordable.

Timber

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by what means the policy for purchasing timber and timber products of (a) the Department, (b) the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, (c) the Driving Standards Agency, (d) the Highways Agency, (e) the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, (f) the Vehicle and Operator Service Agency and (g) the Vehicle Certification Agency ensures that they are obtained from legal and sustainable sources.

Tony McNulty: The Department's Greening Operations Policy, which also applies to its Agencies, contains the commitment to purchase only timber and timber products from sustainable and legal sources. Purchasers within the Department are reminded regularly of this commitment and provided with advice to assist them in purchasing sustainable timber; including the Office of Government Commerce Information Note 9/2002
	How the timber policy is implemented across the Department depends on the scale and type of timber or timber product being purchased in each area. For some timber products such as furniture the main source of supply is through centrally negotiated call-off contracts operated by either the Department or the Office of Government Commerce which contain clauses that apply the Government's timber procurement policy. Other purchases of timber or timber products are obtained through specifications and contracts which also contain clauses seeking documentary evidence that the timber provided is from legal and sustainable sources.

Vehicle Emissions

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what powers there are in statute law authorising a person in uniform, other than a police constable, to stop and detain a motor vehicle so that a test on the emissions from it may be carried out; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: Vehicle and Operator Services Agency examiners, accredited under the Police Reform Act 2002, have powers to stop vehicles for the purpose of inspecting their roadworthiness, which may include a check of emissions. Sections 40 and 41 of the Act provide the grounds for such Community Safety Accreditation Schemes. Schedule 5 sets out the powers that may be conferred on accredited persons.

Transport Authorities (Capital Return)

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what rate of return on capital employed is required for 2003–04 from (a) Bridlington Pier and Harbour Commissioners, (b) the Civil Aviation Authority, (c) Dover Harbour Board, (d) the Driving Standards Agency, (e) Falmouth Harbour Commissioners and (f) Poole Harbour Commissioners; and what dividend and interest payments his Department is budgeting to receive from each in 2003–04.

David Jamieson: The bodies named at (a) Bridlington Pier and Harbour Commissioners, (c) Dover Harbour Board, (e) Falmouth Harbour Commissioners and (f) Poole Harbour Commissioners are all independent trust bodies and, therefore, are not required by this Department to remit either dividend or interest payments to it.
	The following information regarding bodies (b) the Civil Aviation Authority and (d) the Driving Standards Agency is available in their respective Corporate Plans for 2003–04:
	
		Corporate plans for 2003–04
		
			 Body Rate of return on capital employed (Percentage) Budgeted dividend (£) Budgeted interest on NLF loans (£) 
		
		
			 Civil Aviation Authority 6 — 500,000 
			 Driving Standards Agency -3 1,735,000 212,000

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Air Pollution

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many days of (a) moderate, (b) high and (c) very high air pollution were recorded by each automatic monitoring station in London in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 2 December 2003
	The table shows the number of days on which levels of any one of a basket of five pollutants (carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, fine particles and sulphur dioxide) were recorded as 'moderate', 'high' or 'very high' by each national automatic monitoring station in London between 1997 and 2002. These five pollutants are recognised as the most important for causing short term health effects.
	
		Number of days moderate, high and very high for each national network monitoring site in London, 1997–2002
		
			  1997 1998 
			  Moderate High Very High Moderate High Very High 
		
		
			 Bromley Roadside 0 0 0 4 0 0 
			 Camden Kerbside 41 12 1 5 0 0 
			 Haringey Roadside 26 9 0 12 0 0 
			 Hounslow Roadside 2 0 0 0 0 0 
			 A3 Roadside 20 3 2 21 2 1 
			 Bexley 47 7 1 27 1 0 
			 Bloomsbury 35 5 0 18 0 0 
			 Brent 48 4 0 25 1 0 
			 Bridge Place 13 0 0 5 0 0 
			 Bromley — — — 0 0 0 
			 Cromwell Road — — — 0 0 0 
			 Eltham 57 5 0 23 1 0 
			 Hackney 13 0 0 13 0 0 
			 Haringey 23 1 0 13 0 0 
			 Hillingdon 33 8 0 22 0 0 
			 Lewisham 12 0 0 2 0 0 
			 Marylebone Road 41 6 1 35 1 0 
			 N.Kensington 40 7 1 28 1 0 
			 Southwark 26 1 0 11 0 0 
			 Sutton 27 0 0 16 1 0 
			 Teddington 53 4 0 32 2 0 
			 Wandsworth 13 0 0 5 0 0 
			 Westminster — — — — — -- 
			 Southwark Roadside 3 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Sutton Roadside 20 2 2 6 0 0 
			 Tower Hamlets Roadside 2 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West London 2 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  1999 2000 
			  Moderate High Very High Moderate High Very High 
		
		
			 Bromley Roadside — — — — — — 
			 Camden Kerbside 21 0 0 9 0 0 
			 Haringey Roadside 10 0 0 7 0 0 
			 Hounslow Roadside 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 A3 Roadside 7 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Bexley 50 1 0 24 1 0 
			 Bloomsbury 21 0 0 4 0 0 
			 Brent 43 2 0 37 0 0 
			 Bridge Place 24 0 0 - - - 
			 Bromley 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cromwell Road 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Eltham 46 0 0 21 0 0 
			 Hackney 24 0 0 10 0 0 
			 Haringey 37 3 0 20 0 0 
			 Hillingdon 33 1 0 5 0 0 
			 Lewisham 5 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Marylebone Road 50 7 10 83 6 0 
			 N.Kensington 48 1 0 23 0 0 
			 Southwark 29 0 0 12 0 0 
			 Sutton 36 0 0 18 0 0 
			 Teddington 47 4 0 37 0 0 
			 Wandsworth 20 0 0 6 0 0 
			 Westminster — — — — — - 
			 Southwark Roadside 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Sutton Roadside 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Tower Hamlets Roadside 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West London 0 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  2001 2002 
			  Moderate High Very High Moderate High Very High 
		
		
			 Bromley Roadside — — — — — — 
			 Camden Kerbside 15 0 0 3 0 0 
			 Haringey Roadside 8 1 0 10 0 0 
			 Hounslow Roadside 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 A3 Roadside 12 2 0 1 0 0 
			 Bexley 38 0 2 34 0 0 
			 Bloomsbury 22 0 0 17 1 0 
			 Brent 33 2 0 21 2 1 
			 Bridge Place — — — — — — 
			 Bromley 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cromwell Road 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Eltham 33 1 1 23 1 0 
			 Hackney 4 0 0 11 0 0 
			 Haringey 27 1 0 13 0 0 
			 Hillingdon 22 1 0 11 0 0 
			 Lewisham 0 0 0 8 0 0 
			 Marylebone Road 38 11 1 54 3 0 
			 N.Kensington 39 1 0 16 0 0 
			 Southwark 21 0 0 12 0 0 
			 Sutton 25 1 0 3 0 0 
			 Teddington 42 4 0 58 0 0 
			 Wandsworth 23 0 0 9 0 0 
			 Westminster 8 0 0 12 1 0 
			 Southwark Roadside 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Sutton Roadside 6 1 0 2 0 0 
			 Tower Hamlets Roadside 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West London 0 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	Notes:
	'Moderate', 'High' and Very High' refers to the Air Pollution Service Information bandings (www.airquality.co.uk/archive/standards.php*).
	Moderate—mild effects, unlikely to require action, may be noticed among sensitive individuals.
	High—significant effects may be noticed by sensitive individuals and action to avoid or reduce these effects may be needed (e.g. reducing exposure by spending less time in polluted areas outdoors). Asthmatics will find that their 'reliever' inhaler is likely to reverse the effects on the lung.
	Very High—the effects on sensitive individuals described for 'High' levels of pollution may worsen.
	— monitoring site not operating

Animal By-Products Regulations

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the impact of the Animal By-Products Regulations 2003 on (a) cattle farmers, (b) pig and sheep farmers, (c) poultry farmers, (d) other livestock farmers, (e) catering establishments, (f) abattoirs and (g) other affected businesses.

Ben Bradshaw: The Animal By-Products Regulations provide for the administration and enforcement of the EU Animal By-Products Regulation (EC No. 1774/2202). The most recent assessment on this legislation is contained in the Regulatory Impact Assessment that accompanied the Animal By-Products Regulations 2003 when they were laid before Parliament on 9 June 2003. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

Animal Husbandry

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received on the impact on animal husbandry of (a) allowing animals to spend one overnight period at an auction and (b) requiring an animal to be killed at the slaughterhouse within 48 hours.

Ben Bradshaw: After the reduction in the whole farm standstill from 20 days to six, Defra consulted earlier this year on a package of biosecurity proposals including one that animals should not remain longer than 24 hours on market premises. Following representations made by the industry, legislation was introduced on 1 August this year generally limiting this residency period to 48 hours.
	I have received representations from a few operators of markets and slaughterhouses asking for the 48 hour period to be extended.

Animal Welfare

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on how she intends to influence the recommendations of the Farm Animals Welfare Council's Report on the Welfare of Farmed Animals At Slaughter or Killing.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 4 December 2003
	The Farm Animal Welfare Council is our independent advisory body on farm animal welfare matters. As such, we do not influence the recommendations that they make in reports. The Council published its report on the welfare of red meat animals at slaughter in June, and we are currently preparing a draft response.

Badgers

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether badgers infected with tuberculosis are capable of depositing infectious tubercular material sufficient to cause infection in cattle on open pasture and other areas to which cattle have access.

Ben Bradshaw: Although it is likely that badgers infected with tuberculosis are capable of infecting cattle, the routes of transmission of Mycobacterium bovis (the causative agent for bovine tuberculosis) from cattle to cattle, and between badgers and cattle, are not fully understood.
	The Randomised Badger Culling Trial is designed to provide information on the role of badgers in cattle TB. Other research investigates the pathogenesis of M. bovis in cattle. These form part of a broad programme or research designed to deliver information on improved diagnostics, how TB is transmitted, how TB develops in affected animals, and on the interaction with wildlife.

Badgers

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what badger latrines are; and what relevance they have in the spread of M.bovis to cattle.

Ben Bradshaw: Badger latrines are areas where the animals habitually defecate. Typically, they comprise several small pits 10 to 20 cm diameter containing badger droppings, usually contained within an area up to five metres across. Latrines are found within and on the periphery of badger social group territories. Badgers also urinate around latrines and smear their scent on the ground. Badgers infected with M. bovis (the causative organism of bovine tuberculosis) may excrete the organism in their faeces and/or urine. Therefore if badger latrines occur on pasture, or in areas frequented by cattle they may pose a risk of M. bovis infection for cattle.

Badgers

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how adult badgers infected with M. bovis transmit the infection to their young.

Ben Bradshaw: It is possible that a sow badger infected with M. bovis (the causative organism of bovine tuberculosis) may transmit infection to her cubs through contaminated milk, or by aerosol in the confines of an underground nest chamber. Badgers may also infect each other by bite wounding, either during play fighting or through more aggressive territorial and mating encounters.

Badgers

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated incidence of TB in (a) badgers and (b) cattle in England was in the last year for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The last year for which data is available on TB in badgers in England is the period 6 October 1998 to 5 October 1999. Table 1 shows the number of badger carcases tested and found positive for Mycobacterium bovis (the causative organism for bovine tuberculosis) in this period, while Table 2 shows the incidence of TB in cattle for the same period.
	
		Table 1: Badgers tested for M. bovis in England: 6 October 1998 to 5 October 1999(4)
		
			 Number and percentage  
		
		
			 Number of badger carcasses tested 1,038 
			 Number of badger carcasses M. bovis positive 104 
			 Percentage(5) 10 
		
	
	(4) Data from the Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT) and the associated current Road Traffic Accident (RTA) survey is not available. Data is sourced from the previous RTA survey and sources other than from Badger removal operations, and pre-dates the current RTA survey and RBCT.
	(5) It is not possible to provide incidence rates for TB in badgers in the absence of data about the date badgers became infected.
	
		Table 2: TB herd incidence in England: 6 October 1998 to 5 October 1999(6)
		
			 Incidence of TB in cattle  
		
		
			 Tests on unrestricted herds 28,353 
			 Confirmed new incidents 702 
			 Incidence(7) 2.5 
		
	
	(6) Data downloaded from the State Veterinary Service database on 1 December 2003.
	(7) Percentage.

Badgers

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what conclusions have been drawn on routes of transmission from post-mortem examination of badgers for TB in the past 10 years.

Ben Bradshaw: Post-mortem examination of badgers is used as part of the process of determining if badgers are infected with Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis. Post-mortem findings do not provide a basis for ascribing the source or route of infection. However, the location of visible lesions may be indicative of the route of infection e.g. lesions in the lung tissue would suggest a respiratory route of infection. The distribution of lesions in badgers examined by Defra from 1990–99 indicates that infection may have occurred through the respiratory or oral routes, as well as through infection from bite wounds.

Badgers

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate has been made of the optimum badger population in England; and what assessment has been made of the effect on the local environment of colonies extending beyond the optimum size.

Ben Bradshaw: No estimate has been made of the optimum badger population in England, and therefore no estimate can be made of the effect on the local environment of colonies extending beyond the optimum size.
	Defra is funding a project designed to assess the impact of removing badgers from the ecosystem. The results will shed more light on the ecological interaction of badgers with other species, which share their environment.

Badgers

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the percentage of badgers which can reasonably be expected to be killed in a defined area when the culling teams rely solely on trapping.

Ben Bradshaw: In the absence of any means to estimate badger populations accurately, either prior to or post culling, it is always going to be difficult to make such assessments. In the randomised badger culling trial, post-culling surveys have indicated that, in the best conditions and allowing for a proportion of trap-shy animals, about 80 per cent. of the population may be culled using cage traps. In less than optimal conditions this figure can be substantially lower.

Badgers

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs where the main TB lesions have been found on those badgers which have been subject to a post-mortem examination for TB by or on behalf of her Department, in England in the past 10 years.

Ben Bradshaw: Information is available for the period 1 January 1990 to 31 December 1999.
	For this period of the 3,682 badgers that were positive for bovine TB, 1,228 displayed gross TB lesions.
	The following table classifies the occurrence of the lesion locations.
	
		
			 Location of lesion Occurrence 
		
		
			 Abdominal nodes 64 
			 Head nodes 330 
			 Chest nodes 532 
			 Skeletal nodes 223 
			 Chest cavity tissues apart from lymph nodes 418 
			 Abdominal cavity tissues apart from lymph nodes 191

Badgers

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action is taken by the Department when its badger traps are found to be removed or otherwise interfered with.

Ben Bradshaw: When badger traps are found to be removed or otherwise interfered with, traps are replaced or resited or, alternatively, more discrete trapping sites are selected. Incidents of trapping interference are reported to the police.

Badgers

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many field staff, as full-time equivalents, are employed by her Department both directly and on contract, on randomised badger culling trials; and how many were employed in (a) 2002 and (b) 2001.

Ben Bradshaw: The average number of field staff employed on the Randomised Badger Culling Trial in the Veterinary Directorate Wildlife Unit by financial year is as follows.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1998–99 62 
			 1999–2000 90 
			 2000–01 110 
			 2001–02 136 
			 2002–03 127 
			 2003–04 133 
		
	
	For most of 2001, field staff were reassigned to dealing with FMD. Over the first three years of the Trial contracts to carry out initial Triplet surveying were negotiated with CSL and ADAS and additionally small numbers of staff were deployed from elsewhere in the Department to support major proactive cull operations. Badger culling, however, was always carried out by Wildlife Unit personnel.

Barn Owls

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of the extent of barn owl deaths caused by traffic; and what steps are being taken to prevent them.

Ben Bradshaw: Research on this issue was commissioned by the Highways Agency with a final report produced in 1999—Impact of Roads on Barn Owl Populations. This year, the Barn Owl Trust published Barn Owls and Major Roads, the results and recommendations of a 15 year study. Both reports confirm that major roads present a significant hazard to barn owls. They act as barriers to dispersal and reduce barn owl populations in the adjacent countryside.
	The Highways Agency commissioned Highways and Birds—a best practice guide, published in 2001. This investigates the potential value of land alongside major roads to birds and provides generic best practice guidance for engineers and ecologists on highway design and management techniques of benefit to bird populations. These aim to minimise the risks to birds associated with traffic while making best use of the habitat within areas of the road verge where birds are considered to be at a safe distance from the carriageway.
	The Highways Agency's Biodiversity Action Plan acknowledges the extent of barn owl decline and states its intention to implement appropriate actions to reduce the threat from major roads.

Bovine TB

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the incidence of TB in cattle in (a) England, (b) Herefordshire and (c) Worcestershire was in the last six months for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 1 December 2003
	The data requested are not available for Herefordshire and Worcestershire individually. However, the incidence of TB in cattle in (a) England and (b) Hereford and Worcester in each of the last six months is given in the following table.
	
		TB herd incidence May—October 2003(8) -- Percentage
		
			 Month England Hereford & Worcester 
		
		
			 May 2003 3.54 14.97 
			 June 2003 3.98 9.66 
			 July 2003 2.91 10.37 
			 August 2003 2.15 4.12 
			 September 2003 3.12 9.03 
			 October 2003 3.23 8.45 
			 Total 3.22 9.75 
		
	
	(8) Confirmed new herd incidents as a percentage of tests on unrestricted herds. Provisional data downloaded from the State Veterinary Service database on the 27 November 2003—subject to change as outstanding TB test and culture results become available.

Bovine TB

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department has spent in support of efforts to identify a candidate vaccine for bovine TB in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and how much has been budgeted for this work over the next three years.

Ben Bradshaw: Research on identifying candidate vaccines for bovine TB was being conducted before 1998 but it is not possible to collate accurate financial figures before this time. The table shows the costs of two projects which identify and test new vaccine candidates for the financial years 1999–2000 to date.
	
		£
		
			 Financial Year Cost  
		
		
			 1999–2000 448,134 
			 2000–01 509,954 
			 2001–02 523,408 
			 2002–03 542,024 
			 2003–04 552,357 
			 Total 2,575,877 
		
	
	The current vaccine research programme could not have been undertaken without the sequencing of the Mycobacterium bovis genome as all new candidates are discovered through this knowledge. The sequencing of the genome project cost £1,156,293.
	In addition, identification of candidates for vaccine and diagnostic purposes is being pursued using "genomic" and "post-genomic" technology, costing £3,318,624 with an end date in 2005–06.
	The content and funding for the future TB research is currently under discussion within the Department and is taking account of external scientific advice. TB vaccine development is likely to form an increasingly important part of the research programme.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice the Department has given to farmers on the prevention of TB in cattle, in respect of the height of mineral and feed troughs to avoid badgers gaining access to them.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has provided guidance to farmers on how to reduce the risk of cattle being exposed to Mycobacterium bovis in a free booklet entitled "TB in Cattle—Reducing Risk".
	Steps include ensuring mineral blocks and lips of water troughs are raised at least 80 cm (30 inches) off the ground, fencing off badger latrines and setts, not feeding cattle in troughs at pasture and avoiding the use of grass from badger latrines and field margins when cutting silage.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what European Union funds are available to farmers on whose cattle TB restrictions are imposed; how much is payable per head of cattle; whether match funding is required; and what claims the Department has made.

Ben Bradshaw: We are not aware of any EU funds payable to farmers under TB restrictions. The Government currently pays farmers 100 per cent. of market value for cattle removed under TB control measures.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has analysed the (a) number and (b) proportion of farms where cattle with an autumn TB breakdown (i) have subsequently gone clear and (ii) have an increasing incidence of TB through the winter; and whether the first group of cases occurs in areas with a high level of TB infection in badgers.

Ben Bradshaw: This information cannot be provided, except at disproportionate cost. There are seasonal trends in the detection of incidents of bovine TB but it is impossible to determine from currently available information whether these trends reflect seasonally in exposure to the disease.
	The Randomised Badger Culling Trial, alongside the Road Traffic Accident survey and the TB99 epidemiological questionnaire, is providing data about the prevalence of TB in badgers in areas of high incidence in cattle herds, for analysis by the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what level of TB infection in cattle in the national herd her Department has assessed as being acceptable.

Ben Bradshaw: A possible long-term objective in terms of control of bovine TB could be to achieve Officially Tuberculosis Free status as defined by the EU and the OIE. In the short term, Defra is seeking to arrest the geographic spread of the disease, and is shortly to consult on proposals designed to do this. Defra is also soon to consult on a new TB Strategy, looking at the roles of industry and Government, as well as considering what might be achievable in terms of TB control over next 10 years.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of cattle reported to be infected with TB are believed to have acquired infection from cattle-to-cattle transmission; and what proportion are believed to have acquired their infection (a) directly and (b) indirectly from badgers.

Ben Bradshaw: It is not possible to ascribe the source of TB infection in cattle, as the routes of transmission of Mycobacterium bovis (the causative agent for bovine tuberculosis) from cattle to cattle, and between badgers and cattle, are not fully understood.
	The Randomised Badger Culling Trial was designed to provide information on the role of badgers in cattle TB (as well assessing the effectiveness of two badger culling options as control measures). Other research includes investigation of the pathogenesis of M. bovis in cattle. This forms part of a broad programme designed to deliver information on improved diagnostics, how TB is transmitted, how TB develops in affected animals, and on the interaction with wildlife.
	In addition, a survey is underway to assess potential risk factors that may predispose herds to TB outbreaks. A preliminary analysis is set out in the Third Report of the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the use of polymerase chain reaction testing instead of culture testing for the confirmation of TB in bovine samples.

Ben Bradshaw: The Veterinary Laboratories Agency is collaborating with the Imperial College in the design and optimisation of a Mycobacterium bovis-specific polymerase chain reaction (or PCR) assay for the detection of M. bovis DMA in bovine TB lesions. Any new laboratory test is likely to complement rather than replace existing culture techniques.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason hauliers are prohibited under certain circumstances from collecting full loads of TB reactors, comprising animals from different farms, for delivery to slaughterhouses.

Ben Bradshaw: Any animal movement constitutes a health risk. Under post-FMD movement controls, Defra allowed a round of collections of animals from different farms only if all of the farms involved each had multiple pickup approval.
	There are farms which do not want approval or which cannot meet approval requirements. Where farms do not want approval or cannot meet approval requirements, the haulier must transport TB reactor animals direct to the slaughterhouse.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the differences are between TB control programmes in (a) the UK and (b) Ireland.

Ben Bradshaw: The UK broadly adopts the TB control measures set out by EU Directive 64/432/EEC on animal health problems affecting intra-Community trade in bovine animals and swine. It is understood that the arrangements in the Republic of Ireland are similar.
	The Republic of Ireland has a policy for limited culling of badgers for disease control purposes, whereas the UK does not.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to compensate farmers who suffer consequential losses as a result of TB infection in their herds following the failure of the reactive component of the randomised badger culling trials.

Ben Bradshaw: We have no plans to compensate farmers who suffer consequential losses as a result of TB infection in their herds following the suspension of badger culling in reactive areas of the randomised badger culling trial. The payment of consequential loss to producers falls within the definition of State Aids and cannot therefore be paid without the agreement of the EU Commission.
	There has always been an element of risk in participation in the trial, although the majority of farmers might have presumed that culling badgers would only help reduce the risk of TB in their herds. Nevertheless all farmers took part in the trial on a voluntary basis, having had the choice to opt out totally, agree to survey operations only, or to surveying and culling operations, and to change their level of involvement at any time.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she will prohibit the sale of milk for any purpose from farms under TB restriction.

Ben Bradshaw: Pasteurisation is effective in eliminating the risk from Mycobacterium bovis (the causative organism for bovine TB) in milk. Milk from herds under TB restrictions is permitted to be sold for human consumption after it has been heat treated. Milk hygiene legislation requires that raw milk and raw milk products for direct human consumption are produced from milk from officially TB free herds.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what precautions farmers are advised to take to avoid exposing their cattle to M.bovis infection.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has provided a significant amount of advice and codes on the health and welfare of livestock. The Defra leaflet, "TB in Cattle—Reducing the Risk" suggests that farmers consider moving to a closed herd system. However, such a system still needs to be combined with other disease prevention measures to reduce risks of disease introduction and spread. Defra has also produced a leaflet "Golden rules for a healthy herd" that gives specific advice on preventative strategies for avoiding introduction of the most important cattle diseases, including TB during restocking.
	Defra has also produced a concise list of disease prevention measures, including the need to always know the health status of animals being bought or moved, in the form of a yellow card which was developed with livestock industry representatives and vets. It was sent to all livestock farmers in 2002, and is available on the Defra website.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether M. bovis isolates can be characterised to determine its genetic relationship to other isolates by using the technique of DNA fingerprinting; and whether there has been such fingerprinting of TB isolates from cattle and badgers in order to identify epidemiological relationships.

Ben Bradshaw: Spoligotyping is used to determine molecular type for all isolates of the bovine tuberculosis bacillus (M. bovis) obtained from badgers and cattle. Variable Number Tandem Repeats (or VNTR), a technique able to subdivide some spoligotypes, is also used. Generally the different strain types of M. bovis that these techniques identify exhibit distinct and probably longstanding geographical clustering. Within each geographical cluster the same strains tend to be found in badgers and cattle. Even where the same strain has been found in two different species in the same locality, it is difficult to deduce the direction of interspecies transmission, how often it occurs, and how much transmission there is between animals of the same species.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how long the current TB skin test on cattle as a preliminary diagnostic aid has been in use.

Ben Bradshaw: The tuberculin skin test for cattle has been compulsory in Great Britain since 1950. This is the test prescribed by the OIE for international trade, as well as under EU Directive 64/432/EEC on animal health problems affecting intra-Community trade in bovine animals and swine.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to replace the TB skin test used on cattle as a preliminary diagnostic aid with a more accurate and sensitive test.

Ben Bradshaw: Improved diagnosis of TB in cattle is a major objective of Defra's wide-ranging research programme. The current most promising candidate is the gamma interferon test, a laboratory-based blood test that measures the immune response to M. bovis (the causative agent for bovine TB) of T-cells in cattle blood.
	This test was officially recognised by the EU in July 2002, but only for use as a supplement to the Single Intradermal Comparative Cervical Test (SICCT) in TB affected herds. The test is considered more sensitive than the SICCT, but less specific, meaning that it results in a higher probability of false positives. For this reason, the gamma interferon test cannot be used on its own as a screening test for TB for the time being.
	In October 2002, Ministers announced the field evaluation of the gamma interferon test, to assess the potential for its use in GB.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in how many cases badger traps laid by or on behalf of the Department in TB culling trials have been interfered with or removed without authorisation.

Ben Bradshaw: Interference with badger traps laid in the Randomised Badger Culling Trial is variable between operations. It is usually quite geographically localised and repetitive within a culling operational area. Management records indicate that—over 116 culling operations, across 19 trial areas, between December 1998 and 10 October 2003, during which 15,666 traps were sited—there were 8,981 individual occasions where a trap was interfered with, and 1,827 individual occasions when a trap was removed.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the current status is of research on vaccines suitable for application to (a) badgers and (b) bovine animals to protect against TB infection; and when she expects commercial vaccines will become available.

Ben Bradshaw: Defra's extensive bovine TB vaccine research programme is aimed at identifying the most effective vaccine candidates and the most appropriate vaccination programmes to reduce the incidence of bovine TB. Depending on the outcome of this research, it will be necessary to gain approval for the selected vaccine or vaccines to be used in cattle or badgers or other susceptible species.
	The current situation is that the progress on research on vaccines is broadly in line with the timeline set out in the Krebs report, published in 1997. This estimated:
	Years 1–5: Identification of candidate vaccines and development of differential diagnostic tests;
	Years 5–10: Experimental investigations of vaccination protocols;
	Years 10–15: Field trials.
	The current status of research on vaccines was studied by the Independent Scientific Group's Vaccine Scoping Study Sub-Committee who submitted their report to Ministers in July. Ministers, last week, recommended publication of the report and this will be available shortly, both in written form and on the Defra website.
	It is not possible at this stage to estimate when commercial vaccines will become available, but discussions with industry are ongoing.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations have been made by her Department to insurance providers and underwriters on the funding of a joint venture to top up compensation paid for TB reactor cattle above the proposed cut to average market value.

Ben Bradshaw: In developing proposals for a fundamental overhaul of our animal disease compensation arrangements, Defra met with representatives of insurance companies earlier in the year to explore a number of different options. It was concluded that "top-up" insurance schemes for loss of high value animals to notifiable animals diseases is not currently a viable option, as the market is not sufficiently developed. Top-up insurance is not set out as a short-term option for compensation for high-value animals in the current consultation on proposals to rationalise compensation for notifiable animal disease control. Under our proposals animals worth significantly more than the average market value can be pre-valued and registered with Defra. In such cases the compensation payable will be equivalent to the registered pre-valuation.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to fund average cull-price for TB-infected animals and reactors with an industry levy on (a) milk and (b) beef.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government are working on proposals for an animal disease levy, which might include TB. The funds raised would be used to pay for, among other things, the costs of compensation for animals which are compulsorily slaughtered. At the moment the option we favour is a levy on live animals rather than animal products, but no decisions have been taken. We intend to consult on our proposals in the first half of next year.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how maintenance of closed dairy herds protects cattle from TB infection.

Ben Bradshaw: Maintaining a closed herd can eliminate the risk of introducing cattle infected with bovine tuberculosis. The risk of spread of infection from nearby herds and wildlife can be reduced by adopting husbandry and biosecurity measures, as described in the freely available Defra booklet "TB in Cattle—Reducing the Risk".

Dairy Farming

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dairy farmers left the industry in the last 10 years for which records are available in (a) Cornwall and (b) Devon.

Ben Bradshaw: The figures show the number of farmers, partners, directors and spouses on holdings in Cornwall and Devon where the predominant activity is dairy. These figures show the net change in the labour force over the last 10 years. Data for the total number of farmers, partners, directors and spouses (if working on the holding) combined are collected annually from the June Agricultural and Horticultural Census as a total. Figures are not available for each item.
	
		
			  Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly Plymouth Torbay Devon CC 
		
		
			 1993 2,469 (9)— 10 4,188 
			 1994 2,720 13 11 4,689 
			 1995 2,566 11 11 4,536 
			 1996 2,467 11 11 4,391 
			 1997 2,319 12 10 4,203 
			 1998 2,282 10 (9)— 4,231 
			 1999 2,130 8 9 4,009 
			 2000 2,073 (9)— (9)— 3,813 
			 2001 2,073 (9)— (9)— 3,426 
			 2002 2,007 (9)— (9)— 3,633 
		
	
	Notes:
	(a)
	(9) denotes that the data have been treated to avoid disclosure of information relating to individual holdings.
	(b) Figures for 1998 and 1999 show main holdings only, from 2000 onwards minor holdings are also included.
	(c) Due to a register improvement exercise in 2001 labour figures prior to this are not directly comparable with later results
	Source:
	June Agricultural Census

Dairy Farming

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with farming industry representatives about farmgate prices for milk.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 1 December 2003
	The Secretary of State has had no formal meetings with representatives of the farming industry to discuss farmgate milk prices. However, Ministers frequently meet with representatives from all parts of the dairy supply chain and are therefore aware of the issues. Matters affecting the whole dairy sector are regularly discussed at the Dairy Supply Chain Forum chaired by my noble Friend Lord Whitty.

Dairy Farming

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dairy farms there were in 1997 in West Derbyshire; how many of them have closed since; and how many remain.

Ben Bradshaw: Constituency level data are available from 1998 onwards. The figures below show the number of holdings in West Derbyshire where dairy is the predominant activity. They reflect the position in the June of each year and therefore represent the net change.
	
		
			 Year Dairy Holdings 
		
		
			 1998 416 
			 2002 354 
		
	
	Notes:Figures for 1998 show main holdings only, in 2002 minor holdings are also included.
	Source
	June Agricultural Census

Dairy Farming

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many (a) farmers and (b) farmers' spouses were engaged in dairy farming in (i) Cornwall and (ii) Devon in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many (a) partners and (b) directors were engaged in dairy farming in (i) Cornwall and (ii) Devon in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: The following figures show the number of farmers, partners, directors and spouses on holdings in Cornwall and Devon where the predominant activity is dairy. Data for the total number of farmers, partners, directors and spouses (if working on the holding) combined are collected annually from the June Agricultural and Horticultural Census as a total. Figures are not available for each item.
	
		
			  Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Plymouth Torbay Devon CC 
		
		
			 1998 2,282 10 (10)— 4,231 
			 1999 2,130 8 9 4,009 
			 2000 2,073 (10)— (10)— 3,813 
			 2001 2,073 (10)— (10)— 3,426 
			 2002 2,007 (10)— (10)— 3,633 
		
	
	(10) Denotes that the data have been treated to avoid disclosure of information relating to individual holdings.
	Notes:
	1. Figures for 1998 and 1999 show main holdings only, from 2000 onwards minor holdings are also included.
	2. Due to a register improvement exercise in 2001 labour figures prior to this are not directly comparable with later results.
	Source:
	June Agricultural Census

Farm Subsidies (CAP)

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of opting for (a) regionalised average and (b) individual historical claims for decoupled payments under the reformed Common Agricultural Policy in respect of (i) small livestock farms, (ii) medium livestock farms, (iii) larger livestock farms, (iv) small mixed farms, (v) large mixed farms, (vi) small arable farms and (vii) large arable farms.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 1 December 2003
	Responses to our recent consultation exercise are helping to develop our understanding of the range of economic, social and environmental issues surrounding the options for allocating entitlements under the new Single Payment Scheme. A note focusing on the important but narrow issue of the redistributive consequences of adopting each of the main options has been placed in the Library of the House.

Farming

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the latest figures published by her Department on the number of farmers and farm workers who left the industry in England in the 12 months to June.

Ben Bradshaw: Figures from the Agricultural and Horticultural Census indicate the labour on agricultural holdings in June each year. These figures show the net change in the labour force. The total labour force fell by nearly 5 per cent. in the year to June 2003 continuing falls seen over recent years.
	
		
			  Thousand 
		
		
			  Farmers, partners, directors and their spouses working on holdings 
			 June 2002 225.0 
			 June 2003 219.1 
			   
			  All other workers including salaried managers and casual labour 
			 June 2002 146.6 
			 June 2003 135.3 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Includes estimates for minor holdings.
	2. Estimates have been made for non-respondents.
	3. Figures exclude school children but include trainees employed under an official youth training scheme and paid at Agricultural Wages Board rates or above.
	Source:
	June Agricultural Census

Fisheries

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what historical entitlements are held by UK-registered vessels to fish within the six mile zone of other EU member states.

Ben Bradshaw: UK-registered vessels do not hold any historical entitlements to fish within the six mile zone of any EU member state.

Fisheries

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Government enforcement authorities in monitoring fishing activity in the six to 12 mile zone.

Ben Bradshaw: The monitoring of fishing activity in British Fishery Limits adjacent to England and Wales, including the six 12 mile zone, is the responsibility of the Department's Sea Fisheries Inspectorate using aerial and satellite surveillance and fishery protection vessels on task from the Royal Navy.
	The level of surveillance is kept under review by the Sea Fisheries Inspectorate and is considered to be proportionate to the fishing activity occurring within British Fishery Limits.

Fisheries

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in (a) setting up, (b) agreeing the membership of, (c) setting the agenda for, (d) agreeing plans to improve fisheries conservation by (e) setting up and funding the necessary budget for and (f) developing proposals for the development of a sustainable fishing industry for advisory councils for each of the regions relevant to the UK fishing industry as part of the revised Common Fisheries' Policy.

Ben Bradshaw: Regional Advisory Councils (RACs) will increase the involvement of those affected by the Common Fisheries Policy in fisheries management decisions. They will bring together fishermen, scientists and all with an interest in the fish stocks and their exploitation. They will help develop ways forward to which all parties can subscribe.
	The European Commission has announced its proposal for a Council Decision Establishing Regional Advisory Councils (13702/03). The European Parliament is considering the proposal, and formal consultations are being held by Defra and the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department. We are working with interested parties, the Commission and the other member states to develop the proposal. The draft Decision is intended to fix basic principles including those relating to membership, working arrangements and criteria for establishment. Individual RACs will determine how they manage themselves: thus they will be bottom-up organisations, developed and run by their members.
	It will take time for effective RACs to develop, but fishermen and other interests active in international fisheries partnerships in the North sea, the Irish sea and the south west, the Baltic and the Mediterranean have already made good progress. Unless the Commission's proposal meets with unexpected problems, we can expect a Council Decision establishing the first Regional Advisory Councils in 2004.

Fisheries

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of the UN's Law of the Sea on (a) the UK fishing industry and (b) the activities of non-UK-registered fishing vessels operating within UK territorial waters.

Ben Bradshaw: No assessment has been made of the impact of the UN's Law of the Sea on the UK fishing industry. The activities of non-UK registered vessels operating within UK territorial waters are governed by access rules established under the Common Fisheries Policy. As regards third country vessels, access is determined under the terms of bilateral fisheries agreements with certain third countries which have limited access to certain stocks in EU waters.

Fisheries

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what legal and other advice her Department has sought in response to representations she has received from the fishing industry seeking to (a) achieve the unilateral withdrawal of the UK from the Common Fisheries Policy, (b) genuinely lessen the UK's accountability to the CFP and (c) restrict access of foreign vessels from UK territorial waters.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 2 December 2003
	The Department routinely bases its assessments of representations, and responses to them, on advice from its policy experts and, where necessary, on legal advice.

Foot and Mouth

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what conclusions have been drawn from the inquiry into lessons learnt from the foot and mouth crisis.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the statement on the foot-and-mouth inquiries, given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to the House, on 6 November 2002, Official Report, column 285.

Incinerators

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many incinerators for disposal of household waste have been granted planning permission in each of the last five years; and when each will be brought into operation.

Keith Hill: I have been asked to reply.
	Information collected by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on planning decisions taken by waste planning authorities in England does not distinguish the waste stream. The number of planning applications for incinerators granted planning permission by waste planning authorities for each of the last five years is as follows:
	1998–99—Seven
	1999–2000—Eight
	2000–01—Six
	2001–02—Three
	2002–03—Two
	In addition, a planning application for an incinerator for the disposal of household waste was granted planning permission on appeal in October 2001.
	Information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost, on when these incinerators were brought, or are likely to be brought, into operation. The Environment Agency, however, advise that three new municipal waste incinerators have come into operation in England in the last five years, though these may not necessarily have emerged from the planning permissions referred to above and could have arisen from earlier decisions.

Large Combustion Plant Directive

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many submissions her Department has received in response to the consultation on the Large Combustion Plant Directive; and how many (a) favoured the national plan approach and (b) supported the emission limit value approach.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 4 December 2003
	Over 70 substantive responses were received from individuals, businesses, trade associations, environmental groups, regulators, and Government agencies. Of these about 30 favoured the implementation of the Directive by the emission limit approach; about 20 favoured the national plan approach; and about 20 did not express any views on the choice of implementation approach. In addition, some 1,550 individual letters were received from employees of the coal mining and associated industries, all of which favoured the emission limits approach.

Large Combustion Plant Directive

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will establish an inquiry into (a) the effects of the emission limit value approach on UK jobs in (i) the coalmining industry, (ii) the electricity generating industry and (iii) the mining machinery manufacturing sector and (b) the environmental benefit of each approach; and if she will publish the findings before making a final decision on the preferred option.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 4 December 2003
	We intend to undertake further analysis on whether there is a significantly different impact on the coal industry from the emission limits approach, compared to the national plan approach, to implementing the revised Large Combustion Plants Directive (2001/80/EC) for plants first licensed before July 1987. The estimated costs associated with these alternative options on the Electricity Generating Industry, as well as their respective environmental effects, were set out in our consultation paper, published in June 2003.

Late Payment

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many claims for statutory interest payments have been submitted to private companies under the terms of the Late payment of Debt Act 1998; how many claims were met; and what the total value was of such payments in each year since the Act has been in operation.

Alun Michael: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister with responsibility for small business and enterprise, my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh, South (Nigel Griffiths), on December 3, Official Report, column 102W.

Livestock Markets

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what turnover of livestock there was in livestock markets in England and Wales in each of the past five years for which records are available.

Ben Bradshaw: Based on information supplied by the Livestock Auctioneers Association, the turnover of livestock in livestock markets in England and Wales for the years 1997 to 2002 was as follows:
	
		Thousand head
		
			  Cattle Sheep Pigs Calves Total 
		
		
			 1997 2,097 13,854 817 540 17,308 
			 1998 1,887 13,110 800 487 16,284 
			 1999 1,897 13,754 602 433 16,686 
			 2000 1,844 13,740 492 424 16,500 
			 2001(11)  
			 2002 983 6,475 118 207 7,783 
		
	
	(11) Data for 2001 are not available: livestock markets were closed for much of the year due to the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak

Livestock Markets

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many livestock markets there were in 1997 in West Derbyshire; how many of them closed during the foot and mouth outbreak of 2001; how many markets (a) did not open after the outbreak and (b) have closed since; and how many livestock markets there are in each county.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 28 October 2003, Official Report, column 159W and on 12 November 2003, Official Report, column 298W to the hon. Member for St Ives (Andrew George).

Milk

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with supermarkets and co-operatives regarding the farm-gate price of liquid milk; and what the responses of those companies have been.

Ben Bradshaw: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no formal meetings with supermarkets or co-operatives to discuss milk prices. However, Ministers frequently meet representatives from all parts of the dairy supply chain and are therefore aware of the issues. Matters affecting the whole dairy supply chain are regularly discussed at the forum chaired by my noble friend Lord Whitty.

Milk

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she last met representatives of the National Farmers Union to discuss the farm-gate price of milk; and what steps she is taking to safeguard the future of the British dairy farming industry.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 3 December 2003
	The Secretary of State has had no formal meetings with National Farmers Union to discuss farmgate milk prices. However, Ministers frequently meet with representatives from all parts of the dairy supply chain, including the National Farmers Union, and are therefore aware of the issues. Matters affecting the whole dairy sector are regularly discussed at the Dairy Supply Chain Forum chaired by my noble Friend Lord Whitty and on which the National Farmers Union is represented.
	The reasons low farmgate price over the last few years are complex and cannot be reduced to a single factor. Many of these are for the industry to address itself. However, to help safeguard the future of the British dairy farming industry, the Government can and has taken action in line with its Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food to facilitate this. In particular:
	Lord Whitty has been chairing meetings of a Dairy Supply Chain Forum, which has been looking at collaborative solutions to improve supply chain efficiency, as well as other issues. Under the auspices of the Forum, the Milk Development Council has initiated an innovations workshop to look at barriers to innovation in the sector and how to overcome them.
	The Government have made a grant of nearly £0.5 million to the Food Chain Centre to examine how to improve dairy supply chain efficiency; and
	We have established English Food and Farming Partnerships to encourage co-operation and collaboration across all agricultural sectors.

Orchards

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many orchards there were in each year since 1997, broken down by county; and what their acreage was.

Ben Bradshaw: The following figures show the number of main holdings in England by county/unitary authority 1997–1999 that recorded an area of commercial or non commercial orchards and the area covered by the orchards in hectares. Data for 2000–2002 is available on the Defra website at the following link:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/esg/work htm/publications/cs/farmstats web/data map links/data menu.htm
	
		
			   1997  1998  1999 
			 Counties/Unitary Authorities OrchardArea (Ha) Hdgs with Orchards OrchardArea (Ha) Hdgs with Orchards OrchardArea (Ha) Hdgs with Orchards 
		
		
			 Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) 
			 South Teeside (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) 
			 Darlington 0 0 (12) (12) 0 0 
			 Durham CC 1 6 1 8 1 6 
			 Northumberland 3 7 3 7 1 9 
			 Tyneside 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Sunderland 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West Cumbria 4 10 10 10 3 9 
			 East Cumbria 11 15 15 19 14 27 
			 Halton and Warrington (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) 
			 Cheshire CC 25 26 27 31 29 41 
			 Greater Manchester South (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) 
			 Greater Manchester North (12) (12) (12) (12) (12)— (12) 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Blackpool 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Lancashire CC 10 27 16 33 10 27 
			 East Merseyside (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) 
			 Liverpool 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Sefton (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) 
			 Wirral (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 4 10 9 15 7 13 
			 North and North East Lincolnshire 2 6 5 7 1 7 
			 York 3 8 3 8 2 5 
			 North Yorkshire CC 15 36 25 48 17 47 
			 Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham 5 11 5 13 5 13 
			 Sheffield 0 0 0 0 (12)— (12)— 
			 Leeds 3 7 2 5 (12) (12) 
			 Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield 3 8 3 8 2 8 
			 Derby 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 East Derbyshire 9 5 (12) (12) 1 6 
			 South and West Derbyshire 8 22 11 24 3 16 
			 Nottingham 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Nottinghamshire 52 15 55 23 43 18 
			 South Nottinghamshire 6 9 8 12 5 13 
			 Lester 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Leicestershire CC and Rutland 9 16 11 19 9 14 
			 Northamptonshire 40 20 36 24 48 23 
			 Lincolnshire 65 46 101 45 76 43 
			 Herefordshire, County of 3,857 426 3,833 477 4,201 512 
			 Worcestershire 1,588 275 1,619 303 1,609 283 
			 Warwickshire 243 49 236 58 259 54 
			 Telford and Wrekin (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) 
			 Shropshire CC 62 50 103 67 105 76 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Staffordshire CC 15 22 22 23 10 20 
			 Birmingham 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Solihull (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) 
			 Coventry (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) 
			 Dudley and Sandwell (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) 
			 Walsall and Wolverhampton (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) 
			 Peterborough 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire CC 1,326 150 1,220 153 1,074 140 
			 Norfolk 1,061 197 1,049 191 937 178 
			 Suffolk 1,166 118 1,055 120 948 109 
			 Luton 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Bedfordshire CC 31 20 33 21 40 24 
			 Hertfordshire 18 26 23 29 18 31 
			 Southend-on-Sea (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) 
			 Thurrock (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) 
			 Essex CC 1,176 133 1,099 133 851 119 
			 Inner London-West 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Inner London-East 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Outer London-East and North East (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) 
			 Outer London-South (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) 
			 Outer London-West and North West (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) 
			 Berkshire 25 20 32 21 35 23 
			 Milton Keynes (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) 
			 Buckinghamshire CC 125 37 112 42 105 41 
			 Oxfordshire 142 37 135 43 133 38 
			 Brighton and Hove 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 East Sussex CC 602 95 600 109 596 98 
			 Surrey 56 38 53 43 65 46 
			 West Sussex 200 60 186 67 156 61 
			 Portsmouth 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Southampton (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) 
			 Hampshire CC 304 46 305 54 262 55 
			 Isle of Wight 8 13 23 18 11 21 
			 Medway 578 25 508 25 377 22 
			 Kent CC 11,831 722 11,158 747 10,390 700 
			 Bristol, City of 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North and N E Somerset, South Glos 210 65 210 72 177 73 
			 Gloucestershire 675 178 681 194 689 205 
			 Swindon (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) 
			 Wiltshire CC 20 23 24 27 23 30 
			 Bournemouth and Poole (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) 
			 Dorset CC 146 51 187 59 163 64 
			 Somerset 1,124 287 1,152 316 1,158 355 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 90 128 134 160 99 157 
			 Plymouth (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) (12) 
			 Torbay 14 6 15 6 13 6 
			 Devon CC 652 336 740 396 699 453 
			 England 27,698 3,995 26,960 4,393 25,524 4,389 
		
	
	(12) Denotes that the data has been treated to avoid disclosure of information relating to individual holdings.
	Source
	June Agricultural Census

Orchards

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what gains and losses in (a) actual and (b) percentage terms there have been in the size of the national orchard for every year since 1992 for which records are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The following totals show the hectares of commercial and non commercial orchards grown on agricultural holdings in England.
	
		
			  Area Loss/Gain Loss/Gain 
			   Thousand hectares Percentage 
		
		
			 1992 30.7   
			 1993 30.1 -0.6 -2 
			 1994 30.0 -0.1 -0.3 
			 1995 26.6 -3.4 -11.3 
			 1996 26.6 0 0 
			 1997 28.4 +1.8 +6.8 
			 1998 27.6 -0.8 -2.8 
			 1999 26.2 -1.4 -5.1 
			 2000 25.8 -0.4 -1.5 
			 2001 26.0 +0.2 +0.8 
			 2002 23.6 -2.4 -9.2 
			 2003 23.4 -0.2 -0.8 
		
	
	(13) The figures include estimates for minor holdings
	Source:
	June Agricultural Census

Orchards

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) growers and (b) growers' spouses were engaged in apple growing in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: The following figures refer to holdings in England which recorded either commercial or non commercial orchards. No split is available for apple growing. Data for the total number of farmers, partners, directors and spouses (if working on the holding) combined are collected annually from the June Agricultural and Horticultural Census as a total. Figures are not available for each item.
	
		
			  Total Farmers, Partners, Directors and Spouses Full and Part Time on Holdings with Orchards 
		
		
			 1998 7,038 
			 1999 7,029 
			 2000 10,033 
			 2001 10,637 
			 2002 9,996 
		
	
	Notes:
	(a) The figures show farmers, partners, directors and their spouses on holdings with orchards, it is not possible to tell if they are only engaged in activities linked to fruit growing.
	(b) Figures for 1998 and 1999 show main holdings only, from 2000 onwards minor holdings are also included.
	(c) Due to a register improvement exercise in 2001 labour figures prior to this are not directly comparable with later results.
	Source:
	June Agricultural Census

Orchards

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) partners and (b) directors were engaged in apple growing in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: The following figures refer to holdings in England which recorded either commercial or non commercial orchards. No split is available for apple growing. Data for the total number of farmers, partners, directors and spouses (if working on the holding) combined are collected annually from the June Agricultural and Horticultural Census as a total. Figures are not available for each item.
	
		
			  Total farmers, partners, directors and spouses—full and part time on holdings with orchards 
		
		
			 1998 7,038 
			 1999 7,029 
			 2000 10,033 
			 2001 10,637 
			 2002 9,996 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The figures show farmers, partners, directors and their spouses on holdings with orchards, it is not possible to tell if they are only engaged in activities linked to fruit growing.
	2. Figures for 1998 and 1999 show main holdings only.
	3. Due to a register improvement exercise in 2001 labour figures prior to this are not directly comparable with later results.
	Source:
	June Agricultural Census

Potatoes

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice she gives to potato growers in respect of (a) liability and (b) compensation for (i) substandard and (ii) diseased seed potato stock.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is as follows:
	(a) Seed potato growers entering crops for classification under the Seed Potato Classification Scheme are advised that it is a condition of the acceptance of applications by Defra and the National Assembly for Wales that no liability shall attach to either Department or any of their officers in connection with any inspection carried out, or in respect of certificates and reports which are based on the examination of crops and tubers, or in any other way in connection with the operation of the arrangements for certification and classification. The Seed Potato Classification Scheme facilitates the classification of crops in order to meet the requirements of the Seed Potatoes Regulations 1991 (as amended).
	Defra regularly produces publicity material to assist seed potato growers in the identification of pests and diseases. This information is sent to growers and is also available on the Defra web-site.
	(b) The Government pay no compensation for sub-standard or diseased seed potato stock.

Potatoes

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress her Department has made in containing the recent outbreak of ring rot.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to stop the disease of potato ring rot from spreading in Wales.

Ben Bradshaw: As soon as the disease was detected on a routine sample of seed potatoes from the farm in mid Wales, a statutory notice was served under the Plant Health Order 1993 to prevent movement. Three deliveries which had already been made from the farm to customers in England were traced and placed under notice.
	All 22 stocks of seed potatoes on the farm have now been tested. Although infection has been found on some samples of one other variety, DNA testing suggests that this is likely to be due to an admixture with the original infected variety at harvest. The other 20 stocks have been found free from the disease. However, none of the seed potatoes from the outbreak farm can be planted.
	Five farms in England grew crops this year with a varietal link to the infected stocks. As a precautionary measure these stocks were placed under notice and sampled. No ring rot was found in tests on these samples and the stocks are being released.
	There is no reason to believe that infection was present on the affected farm before this year, but as a precautionary measure last year's deliveries of seed are being traced, so crops grown from them can be sampled and tested.
	A new publicity leaflet on ring rot has been prepared and will be sent to all potato growers shortly.

Sea Angling

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on her Department's policy on sea angling.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government recognise sea anglers as parties with an interest in fish stocks, and consult angling interests on a wide range of fisheries management issues to ensure that their views are taken into account. Sea angling is a selective, environmentally friendly and low impact fishing activity. We fully recognise the important contribution that recreational angling and associated activity can make to the coastal economy. To help to quantify this contribution, a Defra-funded study into the commercial value of angling to local economies in England and Wales is currently underway.

Shellfish Licensing Scheme

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will introduce a shellfish licensing scheme.

Ben Bradshaw: A restrictive licensing scheme for shellfish (crabs and lobsters) will take effect from 1 January 2004 for vessels over 10 m and from 1 April 2004 for vessels under 10 m. Shellfish entitlements are being granted to existing fishing vessels which, with their current licences, have taken more than 200 kg of lobsters or 750 kg of crabs in any 12 month period between 1 January 1998 and 31 December 2002. The scheme will apply to vessels under 8 m which will account for more than 40 per cent. of the vessels qualifying under the scheme. Anyone wishing to take up shellfishing will need to acquire an appropriate fishing vessel licence carrying a shellfish entitlement from an existing vessel. Licensed fishing vessels without a shellfish entitlement will be permitted to land up to five lobsters and 25 crabs per day.

Whaling

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has made to the Icelandic Government following the demarche in response to Iceland's plan to continue scientific whaling in 2004; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: On 10 October the Icelandic Government responded to the UK-led demarche of 10 September. On 20 November the UK Ambassador to Iceland delivered a Note Verbale to the Icelandic Government regarding points raised in that response, and in particular their decision to undertake lethal scientific research. The Note Verbale restated the UK Government's opposition to the research, which it considers unjustified and unnecessary, and again called upon the Government of Iceland not to carry out any further lethal research on whale species.

Whaling

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has made to the Japanese Government since 7 November on its plans to kill Antarctic minke whales.

Ben Bradshaw: The Japanese programme of so-called 'scientific' whaling is an ongoing one. The UK Government, in common with those of a majority of IWC members, has regularly criticised the programme as being of little scientific value and urged Japan to end its scientific whaling activities.

Whaling

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research she has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated designed to ensure a successful review of the Southern Ocean Sanctuary in 2004, in relation to the whaling in the area by Japan.

Ben Bradshaw: The UK Government have not specifically commissioned research on the Southern Ocean Sanctuary, but we do receive information from scientists and from the British Antarctic Survey. The UK chaired the Working Group on Reviewing Sanctuaries and Sanctuary Proposals at this year's International Whaling Commission meeting in Berlin. This Working Group evaluated criteria for the Sanctuaries and Sanctuary Proposals. The UK also has delegates on the Steering Group, which is responsible for designing the evaluation process for the Sanctuaries and Sanctuary Proposals. Hence, we have had considerable input into choosing experts and the terms of reference for the review.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Anti-social Behaviour Orders

Betty Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many anti-social behaviour orders have been served in North Wales in the last 12 months.

Hazel Blears: Anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) were introduced in England and Wales from 1 April 1999.
	The number of notifications received by the Home Office of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued in England and Wales, at all courts, from 1 April 1999 up to 30 June 2003 (latest available) is 1,337. Anti-social behaviour orders issued in North Wales from 1 July 2002 up to 30 June 2003 is 10.

Victims of Crime

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to widen access to compensation for victims of crime.

Fiona Mactaggart: Following an internal review of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme we are proposing to publish shortly a consultation paper inviting views on proposals for amending the Scheme, and for encouraging the wider and more effective use of compensation orders made by the criminal courts in victims' favour. We will consider how best to proceed in the light of the responses to that public consultation exercise.

Asylum Seekers

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many children of asylum seekers he estimates will be taken into local authority care each year following the Government's recent announcement.

Beverley Hughes: It is not the Government's intention that any children will be taken into care as a result of this proposal.

Prisons

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what research he has commissioned to assess the impact of drug treatment in prisons on public expenditure.

Caroline Flint: The comprehensive range of drug interventions offered in prison—designed to address the diverse needs of low, moderate and severe drug-misusers—is based primarily on findings from wider, community-based drug research.
	Research on prison-based drug treatment published earlier this year has shown that graduates of programmes are significantly less likely to be re-convicted after release; further in-depth research—including cost-effectiveness—is planned.
	We know from extensive research carried out in the community that there can be significant savings in public expenditure from treating drug-misusers.

Police

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he next expects to meet senior police officers from East Anglia to discuss funding for financial year 2004–05.

Hazel Blears: I have no plans to meet senior officers from East Anglia. I welcome all representations on the provisional police grant settlement for 2004–05, which should be sent in writing to my Department by 2 January.

Bribery and Corruption

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many inquiries into possible cases of international bribery and corruption (a) are being and (b) have been carried out by the UK law enforcement agencies since the enactment of legislation against such offences in Part 12 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 2001; and if he will make a statement about prosecution for such offences.

David Blunkett: The Home Office does not collect statistics from law enforcement agencies on inquiries into possible offences. An independent report on the operation of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 is shortly to be made to the Home Secretary by the committee appointed under Section 122 of the Act, and will be laid before Parliament as soon as is reasonably practicable. In England and Wales, the prosecution of offences of bribery and corruption is undertaken by the Serious Fraud Office if the case falls within their remit; or otherwise by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Crime Figures

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed by juvenile offenders in (a) West Derbyshire and (b) the East Midlands in each of the last two quarters for which figures are available; and how many cautions were issued.

Paul Goggins: The information contained in the table gives the number of juveniles (persons aged 10–17) convicted of all offences and those given reprimands and final warnings, during the last two quarters of 2001 in the East Midlands. It also contains data for the Derbyshire police force area, and, for persons found guilty, in the petty sessional areas of Derby and South Derbyshire and North East Derbyshire which cover the area of the West Derbyshire constituency.
	The information collected centrally does not enable cautions in the West Derbyshire constituency to be identified. Neither is it possible to give the number of crimes committed by juveniles, only the number of juveniles who are found guilty of all offences.
	Statistics for 2002 will be published on 11 December.
	
		Number of juveniles found guilty at all courts, and those given reprimands and final warnings(14) for all offences, East Midlands, 3rd and 4th quarter 2001
		
			 Area, age and disposal etc. Quarter 3 Quarter 4 
			  2001 2001 
		
		
			 East Midlands(15)   
			 Juveniles aged 10–17   
			 Receiving a reprimand 1,579 1,654 
			 Receiving a final warning 568 464 
			 Found guilty 1,739 1,836 
			
			  Of which, Derbyshire police force area: 
			 Juveniles aged 10–17   
			 Receiving a reprimand(16) 308 288 
			 Receiving a final warning(16) 142 118 
			 Found guilty 324 386 
			
			 Of which:   
			 Found guilty in the Derby and South Derbyshire PSA 125 150 
			 Found guilty in the North East Derbyshire and Dales PSA 84 100 
		
	
	(14) Cautions were replaced by reprimands and final warnings for persons under 18 from June 200
	(15) Police force areas of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire
	(16) Not available by petty sessional area

Identity Cards

Ann Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the strength of public support for a national identity card scheme.

David Blunkett: We commissioned wide-ranging research which confirmed, in line with other opinion polls, that 80 per cent. of the general public are in favour of identity cards.

Police Cells

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average daily cost of holding a prisoner in a police cell is.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 3 December 2003
	As part of Operation Safeguard it was necessary during 2002 to hold prisoners in police cells because there was insufficient space in prisons.
	There is an on-going arrangement with many police forces under which prisoners may be held in police cells under separate arrangements known as "lock-outs". Lock-outs occur when prisoners cannot be delivered to the receiving prison before its reception closes. This arrangement is sometimes used to facilitate the return of prisoners to court the next day or when a court hearing extends into the evening.
	The average daily cost of holding a prisoner in a police cell during 2002 was 363 per person per night. The average daily cost for lock-outs is currently 120 per person per night.
	The overall cost of holding prisoners in police cells in 2002 under Operation Safeguard was £10.4 million. This ran between 11 July and 20 December 2002. The overall cost for lock-outs was £1.356 million.
	No prisoners have been held under Operation Safeguard so far in 2003. There have been a total of 945 prisoners held in police cells so far this year as "lock-outs". In addition, eight prisoners were held in police cells in the Greater Manchester area on the weekend of 7–8 June 2003 as an emergency measure.

Prisons

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to tackle racial abuse in HM Prison Holloway and HM Prison Styal.

Paul Goggins: The Prison Service will not tolerate any form of racist behaviour. I am not aware that either Holloway prison or Styal prison have a problem with racial abuse among staff or prisoners. Both prisons have a level of minority ethnic staff that is well above target. Significant amounts of diversity and race relations training have been delivered at both establishments.

Prisons

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average cost of recapturing prisoners who absconded (a) from HM Prison Sudbury and (b) from Her Majesty's Prisons was during (i) 2003 and (ii) 2002.

Paul Goggins: The recapture of prisoners unlawfully at large and their return to custody is a matter for the police. This information is not recorded and held centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Prisons

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are held in HM Prison Sudbury; and how many of these are serving a life sentence.

Paul Goggins: The number of prisoners held at Her Majesty's Prison Sudbury, as at 30 April 2003, was 505. The number of these serving a life sentence was 76.

Prisons

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many open prisons there are in the United Kingdom; and how many prisoners have absconded from open prisons in the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: There are 15 open prisons in England and Wales. In the 12 months from November 2002 to October 2003 there were 1,173 reported absconds from these prisons. I am unable to provide information for prisons in Scotland and Northern Ireland, as these establishments are the responsibility of the Scottish Prison Service and the Northern Ireland Prison Service respectively.

Proscribed Organisations

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list (a) organisations which are proscribed by law and (b) the Acts of Parliament under which they are proscribed.

David Blunkett: There are 39 organisations currently proscribed under Part II of the Terrorism Act 2000. The list is as follows:
	The list of Proscribed Organisations
	1. Al-Qaeda
	2. Egyptian Islamic Jihad
	3. AI-Gama'at al-lslamiya
	4. Armed Islamic Group (Groupe Islamique Armée) (GIA)
	5. Salafist Group for Call and Combat (Groupe Salafiste pour la Prédication et le Combat) (GSPC)
	6. Babbar Khalsa
	7. International Sikh Youth Federation
	8. Harakat Mujahideen
	9. Jaish e Mohammed
	10. Lashkar e Tayyaba
	11. Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
	12. Hizballah External Security Organisation
	13. Hamas-lzz al-Din al-Qassem Brigades
	14. Palestinian Islamic Jihad-Shaqaqi
	15. Abu Nidal Organisation
	16. Islamic Army of Aden
	17. Mujaheddin e Khalq
	18. Kurdistan Workers' Party (Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan) (PKK)
	19. Revolutionary Peoples' Liberation Party-Front (Devrimci Halk Kurtulus Partisi-Cephesi) (DHKP-C)
	20. Basque Homeland and Liberty (Euskadi ta Askatasuna) (ETA)
	21. 17 November Revolutionary Organisation (N17)
	22. Jeemah Islamiyah (JI)
	23. Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)
	24. Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU)
	25. Asbat Al-Ansar
	26. The Irish Republican Army
	27. Cumann na mBan
	28. Fianna na hEireann
	29. The Red Hand Commando
	30. Saor Eire
	31. The Ulster Freedom Fighters
	32. The Ulster Volunteer Force
	33. The Irish National Liberation Army
	34. The Irish People's Liberation Organisation
	35. The Ulster Defence Association
	36. The Loyalist Volunteer Force
	37. The Continuity Army Council
	38. The Orange Volunteers
	39. The Red Hand Defenders

Student Visas

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for student visas have been refused in each year since 2000.

Chris Mullin: I have been asked to reply.
	
		
			  Number of students visas: 
			 Year Applied for Granted Refused 
		
		
			 2000 125,139 99,559 20,105 
			 2001–02 151,524 121,466 38,873 
			 2002–03 181,905 128,144 52,520 
		
	
	The table above shows the number of student visas applied for, granted and refused at entry clearance posts world-wide each year since 2000. Since 2001, statistics have been collated by financial year (1 April to 31 March) rather than calendar year.

Women Prisoners

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each women's prison as at 31 October the (a) normal prisoner establishment, (b) actual numbers held, (c) prison officer establishment, (d) prison officers on strength and (e) number of suicides at each prison since 1 January.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			 Prison Operational capacity Population Target prison officer grades Actual in post 
		
		
			 Askham Grange 141 116 31.75 30.75 
			 Brockhill 167 146 104 96 
			 Buckley Hall 320 300 113 106.5 
			 Bullwood Hall 184 156 91 73.5 
			 Cookham Wood 140 126 63 59 
			 Downview 224 211 123 106 
			 Drake Hall 315 285 83 81 
			 Durham(17) 110 100 — — 
			 East Sutton Park 100 97 21.5 21.5 
			 Eastwood Park 346 274 132 127 
			 Edmunds Hill 310 266 139 120 
			 Foston Hall 235 222 103 94 
			 Holloway 495 453 291 299 
			 Low Newton 396 294 144 144 
			 Morton Hall 395 327 1,171 15.5 
			 New Hall 426 370 189 180 
			 Send 220 213 73 68.5 
			 Styal 468 426 177 174 
			 Winchester West Hill(17) 87 78 — — 
		
	
	(17) These establishments are part of the male estate and separate figures for prison officer grades in the women's units are not available.
	There have been 14 deaths of women in custody since 1 January, as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Brockhill 1 
			 Bullwood 1 
			 Downview 1 
			 Durham 3 
			 Eastwood Park 1 
			 New Hall 3 
			 Styal 4

Women Prisoners

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to survey the women's prison population to determine prisoners' home locations in order to facilitate resettlement.

Paul Goggins: There are no plans currently to conduct such a survey. As at 30 September (the latest date for which information is available) 50 per cent. of the women prisoners who gave details of their home addresses were held under 50 miles from home. 26 per cent. were held between 50 and 100 miles from home, and 24 per cent. were held more than 100 miles away from their home address.
	The provision of housing advice and support is being strengthened in women's prisons, especially in those with a local function, and wherever possible the Prison Service aims to hold prisoners in establishments that are near to their homes or to the courts dealing with their cases.

Young Offenders Institution (Wetherby)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times staff at HM Young Offenders Institution Wetherby used control and restraint in each of the past five years.

Paul Goggins: The relevant information was not recorded centrally until the beginning of this year. During the period 1 January 2003 to 31 October 2003, control and restraint was used at Wetherby on 199 occasions.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has held with his counterparts from (a) Dubai, (b) Uzbekistan, (c) Iran and (d) Pakistan concerning the trafficking of (i) opium and (ii) heroin out of Afghanistan; and whether the Government's opium eradication policy in Afghanistan includes combating the transporting of opium of Afghan origin in the region.

Jack Straw: The UK is committed to supporting implementation of the Afghan National Drug Control Strategy which aims to eliminate the production of opium in Afghanistan within 10 years. The Afghan strategy includes tackling trafficking of drugs within Afghanistan and at its borders.
	The UK is also tackling opium once it leaves Afghanistan. Pakistan, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan are some of the transit points for Afghan-produced heroin. Ministerial colleagues, Government officials and I regularly raise these issues with counterparts from these and many other countries. Most recently, I discussed drugs issues with the Iranian Foreign Minister when I met him in New York on 24 September 2003.
	In May 2003 I attended the international conference in Paris hosted by the French government on "Drug Routes from Central Asia to Europe". This conference led to the formation of the Paris Pact which provides a consultative mechanism for drug and crime control for countries affected by the trafficking of Afghan opium.

Afghanistan

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress with the Government's policy on eradicating the production of opium in Afghanistan.

Jack Straw: The Afghan National Drug Control Strategy was adopted in May 2003. The objective of the strategy is to reduce opium poppy cultivation by 70 per cent. within five years and to eliminate it in 10 years. The UK has allocated £70 million over three years and posted additional personnel to Afghanistan to assist the Afghan authorities to implement a range of activities coherent with the strategy. Eradicating illicit poppy crop will form an important part of the drug control effort. However an eradication-led approach will not provide a sustainable solution to eliminating the cultivation of opium in Afghanistan and must be supported by other measures to build up law enforcement capacity, promote alternative livelihoods for poppy farmers and improve the effectiveness of Afghanistan's principal drug control institutions.
	The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2003 survey showed an 8 per cent. increase in cultivation to 80,000 hectares and a 6 per cent. increase in production to 3,600 hectares. Although unwelcome, this increase is not unexpected given the poor security situation outside Kabul.

Afghanistan

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the amount of heroin (a) produced in Afghanistan and (b) exported to the UK from Afghanistan in each year since 2000; what the estimate is for 2003–04; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Afghanistan is the source of 95 per cent. of the heroin exported to the UK. There are no reliable figures for the level of heroin production in Afghanistan. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) does however conduct an annual survey into the level of opium poppy cultivation and production. It has reported levels of cultivation and production since 2000 as follows:
	
		
			  Hectares Tonnes 
		
		
			 2000 82,000 3,300 
			 2001 8,000 185 
			 2002 74,000 3,400 
			 2003 80,000 3,600 
		
	
	The low level of cultivation and low production figure in 2001 reflect the Taliban ban on opium cultivation; the ban did not however address the underlying causes of poppy cultivation in Afghanistan and was enforced with mix of threat and bribery. In March 2004 the UNODC will publish an Opium Rapid Assessment Survey for Afghanistan. This will give an early insight into the pattern of opium poppy cultivation for the 2003–04 growing season.

Afghanistan

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government expect to deploy additional British troops to Afghanistan during 2004.

Adam Ingram: I have been asked to reply.
	We have no plans to change the overall level of our military commitment in Afghanistan although, as with any operational deployment, we shall keep numbers and tasks under review.

Asylum

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the compatibility of the provisions of the draft European Constitution for a common asylum and immigration system with his proposals for legislation on asylum.

Denis MacShane: The Treaty will not change the relationship between EU and domestic legislation on immigration and asylum. We will retain the right to decide whether to opt in to measures in this area. If they are not in our interests we will not opt in; if they are we will—as with Eurodac and Dublin II, which have helped us identify and return asylum shoppers to EU countries where they first arrived or claimed asylum.

Brussels Treaty

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to support (a) the appending of the modified Brussels Treaty to the Constitutional Treaty as an optional protocol and (b) the amendment of the Treaty to oblige the EU Council to make an annual report on its activities in the fields of security and defence to the Assembly, as created by the modified Brussels Treaty and to the European Parliament; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The UK sees a clear distinction between the role of NATO as the basis of the collective defence of its members and the role of the European Security and Defence Policy as a crisis management instrument in support of the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy. As noted in the Government's White Paper on the IGC, we would not support anything in the EU constitution which undermined NATO's security guarantee.
	The Government continue to regard national parliaments as having primary responsibility for scrutiny of CFSP and ESDP, given the central role of member states in these policy areas. There is provision in both the Treaty on European Union and in the draft constitution for the European Parliament to be regularly consulted on the main aspects and basic choices of ESDP. The Government are not aware of any proposals to change the status or role of the WEU Assembly, although there might be a case for considering this in the light of the outcome of the Inter-Governmental Conference.

Burma

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last spoke to Aung San Suu Kyi concerning the situation in Burma.

Jack Straw: The Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire (Mr. O'Brien) last spoke to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on 7 March 2003. Since being detained on 30 May we have made repeated attempts to speak to her by phone but these attempts have been unsuccessful.

Colombia

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the military assistance provided to Colombia is funded from the conflict resolution fund.

Bill Rammell: Although Colombia does not have its own programme under the Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP), the Security Sector Reform (SSR) strand of GCPP is used for military assistance projects for Colombia when they meet SSR criteria. Examples include the counter-terrorism seminar in Colombia in March 2003 (in which MOD personnel participated to give advice to Colombian security force units and civic officials on dealing with terrorist incidents in Colombia), and funding Colombian MOD personnel attending training and education courses in the UK.

Colombia

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the proposed new emergency powers before the Colombian parliament meet the pledges given at the consultative group meeting in London in July 2003.

Bill Rammell: The Colombian Government did not make any pledges at the London Meeting on International Support on Colombia about specific legislation, but they did pledge to implement recommendations made by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR). There are legitimate concerns about the proposal to grant judicial police powers to the Colombian armed forces in the proposed Constitutional Reform Bill 223 of 2003. In July the EU made a demarche to the Colombian Government about this, reiterating the concerns of UNHCHR in Bogota, in particular where proposed articles were incompatible with Colombia's human rights and international humanitarian obligations. We shall continue to urge the Colombian Government to adopt the practice of adjusting all anti-terrorist legislation in line with Colombia's international obligations.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  when he will reply to the letter to him dated 6 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mr. Murhtar Ahmed Rana;
	(2)  he will reply to the letter to him from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Dorothy Ricketts;
	(3)  when he will reply to the letter to him dated 6 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mrs. Shafna Rahman.
	(4)  when he will reply to the letter to him dated 6 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Sadia Bibi;
	(5)  when he will reply to the letter to him dated 6 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr.Usman Ilyas.

Chris Mullin: I would like to apologise to my right hon. Friend for not having replied to his letters of 6 October to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary about Mr. Murthar Ahmed Rana, Ms Dorothy Ricketts, Mrs. Shafna Rahman, Ms Saidia Bibi and Mr. Usman Ilyas.
	As a result of an administrative error a package containing a number of my right hon. Friend's letters was lost while in transit between the Foreign Secretary's office and UKvisas, the department responsible for entry clearance matters arising overseas. The letters that were lost have now been identified and copies have been sent to UKvisas. I can assure my right hon. Friend that the Foreign Secretary will write to him in the next few days on these cases.

Correspondence

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Totnes of 22 August regarding the continued mining of Indonesian protected forests and the concern expressed by Mr. Rupert Stocks.

Mike O'Brien: I apologise to the hon. Member for Totnes and his constituent, Rupert Stocks, for the late reply to his letter. This was the result of an administrative error and I am pleased to say that a letter has now been issued.

Draft European Constitution

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he plans to have with the Foreign Ministers of (a) Denmark, (b) Germany and (c) Italy regarding the declaration in the draft proposals agreed in Naples relating to the primacy, under Article 110 of the draft European Constitution, of the Constitution over their respective constitutions.

Denis MacShane: The Presidency has proposed a 'Declaration for incorporation in the final Act with regard to article I-10 (1)'. It states that,
	"The Conference notes that the provisions of Article I-10 (1) reflect existing Court of Justice case law."
	The proposal has not been agreed, but will be discussed at the European Council on 12–13 December, in which the Foreign Ministers of all the States mentioned will participate.

Draft European Constitution

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the implications for the United Kingdom (a) Parliament and (b) Courts of the Declaration at Annex 2 of the proposals agreed in Naples on the primacy of European Union law as set out in Article I-10 (1) of the draft European Constitution.

Denis MacShane: The proposed Declaration provides confirmation that the provisions of Article I-10 (1) reflect existing European Court of Justice case law. If agreed it would state the common intention and understanding of all the participating States that Article I-10 (1) has this meaning and should be interpreted accordingly.

Draft European Constitution

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to ensure that reference is made in the European Constitution to territorial cohesion.

Denis MacShane: The draft EU Constitutional Treaty contains provisions on territorial cohesion. The Government are content with these.

European Minister for Foreign Affairs

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the status is of the Italian presidency's proposal that any proposal made by the European Minister for Foreign Affairs should be subject to qualified majority vote; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: This proposal is still under consideration in the Intergovernmental Conference. We expect a revised version of the draft Constitutional Treaty to issue in the week of 8 December. As stated in the Government's White Paper, British policy is that unanimity must remain the general rule for the Common Foreign and Security Policy.

India

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's guidance is to UK citizens planning to travel to the Manipur region in north east India; what assessment his Department has made of the security situation in Manipur; when this assessment was last updated; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: We advise UK citizens against all travel to Manipur. This advice is reviewed on a monthly basis, most recently on 24 November 2003. A number of militant and criminal groups operate in the state; and whilst foreigners are not generally targets of violence, attacks can be indiscriminate. For example a German aid worker was kidnapped by one group earlier this year close to the capital Imphal. We currently see no grounds for changing the travel advice.

Intergovernmental Conference

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was agreed at the Intergovernmental Conference meeting at Naples of 28 to 29 November; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: No decisions were taken or formal agreements made at the Intergovernmental Conference meeting in Naples. The meeting, on which my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary provided a detailed briefing at the Standing Committee on the IGC on 1 December, discussed a paper presented by the Presidency (CIG 52/1/03), copies of which are in the Libraries of the House. The discussions were positive and constructive. They will continue at Foreign Minister level on 8 December and at the level of Heads of State or Government at the European Council on 12–13 December.
	Any agreement will be made by unanimity, on the basis of a complete package.

Iran

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of Iran's ability to use its nuclear power programme for military purposes.

Denis MacShane: The technology which Iran has been seeking to develop at its nuclear facilities would enable them to produce fissile material, which can be used in the production of nuclear weapons.

Iran

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government will take to ensure that Iran complies with its promises to the UK, French and German Foreign Ministers on nuclear issues.

Denis MacShane: All of the elements promised in the Tehran Declaration are incorporated in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors' resolution adopted on 26 November. The primary responsibility for ensuring Iran's compliance with terms of the resolution lies with the IAEA, which will report periodically to the Board of Governors on progress made. We will monitor this progress closely through our membership of the Board of Governors.

Iran

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the steps Iran has taken in its undertakings to the UK, French and German Foreign Ministers on nuclear issues; and what steps remain to be taken.

Denis MacShane: In the Tehran Declaration of 21 October, which was the result of the visit to Tehran by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary with his French and German colleagues, Iran undertook to sign an Additional Protocol to its nuclear safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); to cooperate fully with inspectors from the Agency; and announced that it would suspend the enrichment of uranium and fuel reprocessing activities. All of these undertakings were subsequently included in a resolution adopted by the IAEA Board of Governors on 26 November. Monitoring of progress on these undertakings is rightly the responsibility of the IAEA, which will report periodically to the Board of Governors.

Iraq

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the revenues which derived from sales of Iraqi oil in each month since April; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: holding answer 8 December 2003
	Total revenue from Iraqi oil sales paid into the Development Fund for Iraq since exports restarted in June until 26 November amounted to $2.479 billion.

Iraq

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the (a) income and (b) expenditure of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq was in each month since April; how much was spent by (i) amount and (ii) percentage in each sector; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: holding answer 8 December 2003
	Monthly income and expenditure data for the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) is not published and, as in the UK, nor is expenditures by sector.
	However, a Financial Management Information System is being implemented by the CPA to build capacity and move Iraq from a paper-based budgeting system to a real time expenditure system.
	CPA income is derived from bilateral donations (such as US Congressional appropriations), from the sale of oil revenues, the transfer of Iraq's overseas assets, the seizure of assets from the former regime within Iraq, the transfer of remaining Oil For Food moneys from the UN Escrow account, and, under the CPA's usufructuary power, any revenues derived from Iraq's State Owned Enterprises and tax revenues. These revenue streams are accountable to different bodies, and a monthly consolidated single income account is not published. Total income data and forecasts are published in the annual Budget produced by the Iraqi Ministry of Finance and CPA.
	Expenditure is determined by an annual budget process and is executed and published by economic activity undertaken in each Ministry rather than by sector.
	The 2003 and 2004 Budgets are available on the CPA website (www.cpa-iraq.org). Cumulative income and expenditure totals for the Development Fund for Iraq (which includes the following elements of the CPA's income: oil revenues, transferred assets and Oil For Food monies) are also published on the CPA website.

Iraq

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who is responsible for preparing the accounts of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq; to whom it reports; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: holding answer 3 December 2003
	CPA accounts are prepared by officials of the CPA. The International Auditing and Monitoring Board (IAMB), established under UNSCR 1483 and comprising senior members of the UN, World Bank, IMF and Arab Fund for Social and Economic Development, is responsible for auditing the accounts of the Development Fund for Iraq. The IAMB members will appoint a firm of international auditors to act on their behalf in undertaking this responsibility.

Israel

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of discussions over the last month between the European Union and Israel concerning the labelling of goods exported to the EU which originate from settlements established in territories occupied by Israel; and what progress has been made in providing for such products to be accurately marked with their point of origin.

Denis MacShane: The Government welcome the discussion between the European Commission and Israel concerning the origin of goods exported to the EU as Israeli and originating in the Occupied Territories. The Government understand that the European Commission has asked the Israeli authorities for more details on their proposals, which have not yet been put in writing. The Government will examine carefully the proposals, and the Commission's assessment of them, once we have fuller details.

Ivory Coast

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the (a) Ivory Coast Government and (b) other involved parties with regard to honouring commitments set out in the January peace accord.

Chris Mullin: The UK fully supports the Linas Marcoussis Agreement (LMA) as the basis for sustainable peace in Côte d'Ivoire. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials use regular contacts with members of the government of Côte d'Ivoire, and with other parties to the agreement, to encourage early progress on its implementation. We have been concerned at the fragility of the peace process since September, and have joined the wider international community in urging all parties to continue to respect the ceasefire; to restore full meeting of the government of National Reconciliation; and to make swift progress on the LMA, including disarmament and demobilisation.

Turkey

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department received requests from (a) the US Administration, (b) the Turkish Government and (c) staff working in the British Consulate in Istanbul for British staff to move buildings in light of an increased risk from terrorism in the period between April and November.

Jack Straw: holding answer 4 December 2003
	The FCO has not received any requests from the US Administration or the Turkish Government for the British Consulate General to move buildings.
	The security managers at the Consulate-General at Istanbul regularly briefed all staff on security matters. Staff were kept aware of changes to the State of Vigilance and of any additional security measures put in place.

Turkey

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action his Department took to ensure the security of British citizens (a) on holiday and (b) living in Turkey following (i) the explosions outside branches of HSBC in Istanbul on 31 May, (ii) the explosion at the Visa Section of the British Consulate-General in Istanbul on 3 April and (iii) the explosion of three devices in Izmir on 8 April.

Jack Straw: After each incident the FCO changed its travel advice to reflect its best assessment of the situation at the time. Details of travel advice changes are passed through the warden network to the British community.
	I refer the right hon. and learned Gentleman to the answer I gave him today on details of changes to the travel advice for the three incidents.

Turkey

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department received from representatives of the British Consulate in Istanbul regarding the level of security provided at the temporary accommodation in which staff worked during the period between 2001 and 2003.

Jack Straw: Staff at the Consulate-General were in regular contact with this Department about security at the Post, including the security provided at the temporary accommodation. This accommodation was due to be vacated when the refurbishment of the main building was completed in early 2004.

Turkey

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what travel advice was issued by his Department following (a) the explosions outside branches of HSBC in Istanbul on 31 May, (b) the explosion at the Visa Section of the British Consulate-General in Istanbul on 3 April and (c) the explosion of three devices in Izmir on 8 April.

Jack Straw: Before the explosion outside the Visa Section of our Consulate-General in Istanbul on 3 April the headline message ("Summary") of the travel advice stated:
	"The vast majority of visits to Turkey are trouble-free. Turkey is one of a number of countries where there is an increased risk from international terrorism. There is also a risk from domestic terrorism (one group in Turkey has, in the past, carried out attacks to mark anniversaries in April)."
	Following the explosion the travel advice was amended to include the following reference to the attack:
	"On 3 April an explosion occurred at the Visa Section of the British Consulate-General, causing minor material damage, but no casualties."
	Following the attacks in Izmir the travel advice was amended again with the following reference added:
	"On the evening of 8 April, three small devices exploded in Izmir, one of which was near the British Consulate. There were no casualties and no significant damage."
	Before the attacks on HSBC on 31 May the Summary of the travel advice was amended to underline the need to be vigilant in Turkey:
	"The vast majority of visits to Turkey are trouble-free, but there is a continuing risk from domestic terrorism following a number of recent incidents (see below). Turkey is also one of a number of countries where there is an increased risk from international terrorism. We urge you to be vigilant in all parts of Turkey."
	After the attacks on HSBC, the travel advice was again changed with factual reference to the attack:
	"In the early hours of 31 May there were small explosions outside two separate branches of H.S.B.C. in Istanbul"
	Copies of the travel advice referred to here will be placed in the Library of the House.
	In the period 1 April to 20 November, the FCO updated its travel advice for Turkey 30 times.

Turkey

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  whether discussions were held between his Department and (a) the US Administration, (b) the Turkish Government and (c) staff working in the British consulate in Istanbul regarding a need for British staff to move building in light of the increased risk from terrorism in the period between April and November;
	(2)  what discussions his Department had with US counterparts regarding the security threat in Istanbul in the period between April and November; whether the decision by the US Administration to move its staff during that period was discussed; whether the possibility of the British Government taking a similar decision was discussed; and what the outcome was of the discussions.

Jack Straw: The FCO and relevant agencies maintain regular contact with their US counterparts on security and threat-related issues. In addition consular officials speak daily to the State Department to exchange information on travel advice changes, which includes threats to UK and US citizens overseas.
	Staff at the consulate-general had regular discussions of security-related issues with their US counterparts in Istanbul and with the Turkish Government during the period April to November. These discussions focussed on the security of the consulate-general building rather than on moving to another building.
	Following the attack on the visa section at the consulate-general on 3 April 2003, the visa section remained closed for two days. Discussions were held with the Turkish authorities on increasing security for the visa section.
	The security manager at the consulate-general Istanbul regularly briefed staff on security measures. Staff were also kept aware of changes in the state of vigilance. Staff were due to move back to Pera House (the main building) in February 2004.

Turkey

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with representatives of the British consulate in Istanbul regarding security following (a) the explosions outside branches of HSBC in Istanbul on 31 May, (b) the explosion at the visa section of the British consulate-general in Istanbul on 3 April and (c) the explosion of three devices in Izmir on 8 April.

Jack Straw: There is continual dialogue between those in the FCO responsible for security and our overseas posts, including the consulate-general in Istanbul. This was naturally particularly intense following each of the explosions mentioned. Security measures were reviewed and additional Turkish police guards were deployed at Izmir and Istanbul.
	Security managers at the consulate-general at Istanbul regularly briefed all staff on security measures and kept them aware of changes in the state of vigilance. Staff were briefed after the three terrorist incidents which occurred in April and May this year.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Security

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the closure of Abingdon Street in front of the Palace of Westminster on the day of the State Opening of Parliament for six hours after Her Majesty the Queen had left the building was determined on security grounds.

Tony McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
	The front of the Palace of Westminster adjacent to Abingdon Street and Old Palace Yard is protected by railings and black defensive concrete blocks. These were removed for the State Opening of Parliament. The area was then closed using an outer security cordon of grey defensive concrete blocks.
	Once Her Majesty had left, the operation to reinstate the original security measures began. This was done as quickly as possible, but with such a high profile venue, the original security measures needed to be fully in place before the traffic was allowed to pass. Abingdon Street was fully re-opened to traffic at 6pm.

Arms Exports

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many licences were (a) requested and (b) granted for man-portable air defence systems in each year since 1996 for (i) government and (ii) non-government end users, distinguishing in each case between (A) licences for end users in NATO and EU countries and (B) licences for end users outside NATO and the EU.

Nigel Griffiths: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given today to question number 141199.

Auditors' Liabilities

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with (a) UK firms and (b) representatives of the accountancy profession about the relative merits of introducing a cap on auditors' liabilities in litigation; and if she will publish the minutes of such meetings.

Patricia Hewitt: Over the past six months, my right hon. Friend the Minister for Industry and the Regions and I have received some 20 letters principally about auditor liability, from auditors, preparers of accounts and users of accounts.
	Two senior businessmen have raised the matter with me, but I have not had any significant discussions with audit firms or accountancy bodies. The issue has twice been raised in meetings attended by my right hon. Friend, once by the President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and once by KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers. My officials have also discussed the issue with auditors, preparers of accounts, users of accounts, academics and regulators.
	I do not propose to publish the minutes of individual meetings. I will, however, be consulting on the issue shortly.

British Energy

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the European Commission will report on the UK Government's financial assistance to British Energy.

Stephen Timms: The Commission approved our rescue aid to British Energy on 27 November 2002.
	The Commission announced on 23 July 2003 that it was opening a formal investigation procedure into our proposed restructuring aid to British Energy, which is normal in major restructuring aid cases. The Commission must reach a decision within 18 months of opening the investigation but in practice may reach a decision before then. We currently expect to receive a decision by mid-2004.

Business Start-ups

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses, and of what type, have received assistance in starting-up from government schemes and initiatives in each year from 2001 to 2003 (a) in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, (b) in Teesside and (c) nationally.

Nigel Griffiths: As well as a range of advice and support from consultants, the Business Link Organisation for Tees Valley makes assistance available specifically for start up businesses through its "Start Right in Business" scheme. The statistics in the table show the numbers of start up businesses supported by this scheme in Tees Valley as a whole, and the closest available match to the geographic analysis requested. Data on business type is not readily available.
	
		
			 Period Tees Valley Middlesbrough Redcar & Cleveland 
		
		
			 2001 635 178 139 
			 2002 620 114 146 
			 2003(18) 526 154 98 
		
	
	(18) To date
	The Small Business Service administers Enterprise Grants (EG) for small and medium sized enterprises, including start-up businesses. These give support to capital investment for manufacturing and service to manufacturing companies. The following table shows the totals for businesses assisted. A number are known to be start ups thought specific information on all start up businesses and their business sector is not readily available.
	
		
			 Period Tees Valley Middlesbrough Southand East Cleveland 
		
		
			 2001 25 1 
			 2002 21 1 
			 2003(19) 15 2 
		
	
	(19) To date
	More than 480 EG offers have been made in the North East from 1 January 2000 to date, while nationwide 1,908 EG offers have been made between 1 April 2000 and 30 September 2003.

Companies (Audit, Investigations andCommunity Enterprise) Bill

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the cost to UK businesses in each of the next five years of the measures to be implemented by the forthcoming Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) Bill.

Jacqui Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the Regulatory Impact Assessments for the Bill which have been placed in the Libraries of the House. I expect the cost to business to be minimal and the benefits to be significant.

Electricity Supplies

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times in the last five years electricity supplies have been cut to more than 1,000 homes owing to severe winter weather.

Stephen Timms: The statistics are as follows:
	
		
			  Incidents 
		
		
			 1998–99 19 
			 1999–2000 7 
			 2000–01 14 
			 2001–02 19 
			 2002–03 9

Energy Supply

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much the pilot scheme developed by the Energy Services Working Group to scrap switching rules for energy supply is estimated to cost in each of the next five years.

Stephen Timms: There are no costs to the Government, apart from the administrative costs relating to evaluation of the pilots. The trial relaxation of the 28-day rule for energy service contracts enables energy companies, if they wish, to market energy service packages to their customers as an alternative to a supply contract only. We expect this to be profitable for companies to do, while, at the same time, consumers will benefit from reduced energy bills as a result of the energy efficiency investments that companies make in their homes.

Energy Supply

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the effect on energy efficiency of the pilot scheme developed by the Energy Services Working Group to scrap switching rules for energy supply in each of the next five years.

Stephen Timms: The Government expect that energy services contracts will deliver a reduction of at least 10–15 per cent. in energy use in households that sign up to them. The actual reduction in a household will depend on the energy efficiency measures that are carried out as part of an energy services contract. In a typical 1960–70s semi-detached house heated by gas, an insulation package consisting of cavity wall insulation, topping up the loft insulation and improved insulation on the water tank could save over £130 per annum compared to previous running costs.
	As part of the trial relaxation of the 28-day rule, energy companies will be able to offer energy service contracts to up to 4 per cent. of their customers or 50,000 customers whichever is the larger. In total, nationally, up to one million households could benefit.

Enterprise Green Paper

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what response her Department has made to the European Commission's Green Paper on enterprise.

Jacqui Smith: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry wrote to Commissioner Liikanen on 30 June 2003 attaching the UK Government's response to the European Commission's Green Paper on entrepreneurship.
	The full text of the UK and other responses is on the European Commission's website http://europa. eu.int/comm/enterprise/entrepreneurship/green paper/contributions organisations.htm.

Export Control Licences

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what export licence applications have been refused on the basis of Criterion 8 of the Consolidated Criteria since 2000.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 3 December 2003
	Reasons for refusal of licences are given in summary form in the Strategic Export Controls Annual Report. In the period in question, one licence has been refused partly on the basis of Criterion 8.

Export Licences

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many export licences, and of what value, were approved for the export of main portable air defence systems to governments and others in each year since 1997; and how many such licences were not approved.

Nigel Griffiths: MAN Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS) are rated under both category ML4a and category ML4b. Of course there is other equipment also rated under these categories. To carry out a search of how many licences were approved and refused for export since 1997 would require a search first by category, bringing up in all probability thousands of goods lines, followed by a search, both of computer records and a manual search, of each of those goods lines, to determine whether the goods listed under the relevant category contained any equipment for MANPADS.

Manufacturing

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with representatives of manufacturing industry on levels of manufacturing investment.

Patricia Hewitt: My colleagues and I meet frequently with representatives of manufacturing industry to discuss a wide range of issues, including levels of manufacturing investment.
	In addition we receive regular reports from key industry representatives, such as the CBI and the Engineering Employers Federation, on manufacturing performance including investment trends.

Mobile Telephones

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will introduce regulations requiring the providers of mobile telephone-related services to obtain documentary proof of purchase, ownership and identity from clients before taking the item into their temporary possession.

Stephen Timms: The Government have no plans to do so.

Mobile Telephones

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will introduce regulations for the purchase of second-hand mobile telephones placing the onus upon the buyer to obtain documentary proof of purchase, ownership and identity from the seller.

Stephen Timms: The Government have no plans to do so. Measures already taken by the Mobile Network Operators mean that stolen phones can be blocked. When blocked, they have no resale value. Together with my hon. Friend the Minister of State for crime reduction, policing and community safety, I am in regular discussion with the Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum—which brings together mobile phone networks, manufacturers and retailers—on reducing mobile phone crime.

Motor Industry

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which companies manufacturing cars in the United Kingdom have received (a) offers and (b) indicative offers of regional selective assistance since 1 May 1997.

Jacqui Smith: In England, the following companies have received offers:
	BMW Hams Hall Motoren GMBH
	Ford Motor Co Ltd.
	Jaguar Cars Ltd.
	Jensen Motors Ltd.
	MG Rover Group Ltd.
	Nissan Motor Manuf (UK) Ltd.
	Peugeot Motor Co Ltd.
	Toyota Motor Manuf (UK) Ltd. 1
	Vauxhall Motors Ltd.
	1 Offer accepted but project did not proceed.
	Offers of RSA in Scotland and Wales and of Selective Financial Assistance in Northern Ireland are the responsibility of their respective administrations.
	Our database does not contain records of indicative offers since these are not legally binding documents.

Motor Industry

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the deficit or surplus has been for the UK's trade in motor cars in each of the past six years; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is as follows:
	
		Overseas trade in new cars (including trade in chassis) -- £ million
		
			  Exports Imports Balance 
		
		
			 1997 8,688 13,455 -4,767 
			 1998 8,513 13,898 -5,385 
			 1999 9,515 14,756 -5,241 
			 2000 9,156 13,710 -4,554 
			 2001 7,981 16,784 -8,803 
			 2002 10,347 17,903 -7,556 
		
	
	Source:
	Overseas Trade Statistics (HM Customs & Excise)

Motor Industry

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry by how much the United Kingdom motor industry's gross value added has changed since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Relevant information available is as follows:
	
		Motor Vehicle Industry: Approximate gross value added at basic prices £ million
		
			 Standard Industrial Classification (1992) category 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Percentage change 1997–2001 
		
		
			 34.1 Manufacture of motor vehicles 5,913 5,438 4,454 3,372 4,407 -25 
			 34.2 Manufacture of bodies (coachwork) for motor vehicles; manufacture of trailers and semi-trailers 814 799 779 716 746 -8 
			 34.3 Manufacture of parts and accessories for motor vehicles and their engines 3,066 3,368 3,057 3,075 3,132 +2 
			 25.1 1 Manufacture of rubber tyres and tubes 625 723 620 497 519 -17 
			 31.61 Manufacture of electrical equipment for engines and vehicles not elsewhere classified 393 366 445 429 312 -21 
			 Total Motor vehicles and components 10,811 10,695 9,355 8,089 9,115 -16 
		
	
	Source
	Annual Business Inquiry (National Statistics)

Motor Industry

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on efficiency in the UK motor industry in terms of vehicles per employee per year; and what plans her Department has to improve this.

Jacqui Smith: In recent years there has been a steady improvement in efficiency in the UK motor industry in terms of vehicles per employee per year, and it is noted that Nissan's Sunderland plant is the most efficient car plant in Europe by this measure.
	The Department is working closely with the industry on a number of initiatives to improve productivity, including implementation of the recommendations of the Automotive Innovation and Growth Team, to which the Government have committed £45 million. These recommendations, including Supply Chain Groups, the Automotive Academy and Centres of Excellence, will allow the dissemination of best practice, knowledge transfer and improved skills throughout the sector.

Post Office Closures

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions the Post Office has decided not to close a sub-post office in an urban area following consultation in each of the last three years.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 3 December 2003
	Decisions on post office closure proposals under the urban reinvention programme following public consultation are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to my hon. Friend.

Projects (Funding)

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  which projects have been (a) wholly and (b) partly funded by her Department in St. Helens since 1997; when each project was announced; when it started or was expected to start; what funding was provided by (i) Government and (ii) a third party; what third party provided funding; what the target group of the project was; what the projected outcome of the project was; and what the name of the project was;
	(2)  how much money the Government has allocated in business support to St. Helens in each year since 1992.

Jacqui Smith: Project support information is given in the table.
	
		Project support information
		
			 Project Name FinancialYear Started GovernmentGrant (£) OtherFunding (£) Source ofOther Funding Target Group Outcomes 
		
		
			 RSA(20) 2002–03 (21)1.54 (21)12.28 Target businesses(22) Business applicants(23) 305 jobs created/safeguarded 
			 St. Helens City Growth Strategy 2001–02 375,000 — — Borough of St. Helens Strategy and implementation plan to provide sustainable business base in St. Helens 
			 EnterprisingSt. Helens 2001–02 471,000 307,000 ESF(24) Disadvantaged communities in St. Helens Support for business startups in target areas 
			 RSA(20) 2001–02 600,000 (21)4.7 —(22) —(23) 112 jobs created/safeguarded 
			 RSA(20) 2000–01 500,000 (21)3.41 —(22) —(23) 137 jobs created/safeguarded 
			 RSA(20) 1999–2000 (21)1.68 (21)10.42 —(22) —(23) 415 jobs created/safeguarded 
			 RSA(20) 1998–99 (21)2.28 (21)18.6 —(22) —(23) 895 jobs created/safeguarded 
			 RSA(20) 1997–98 (21)3.43 (21)33.27 —(22) —(23) 839 jobs created/safeguarded 
		
	
	(20) Regional Selective Assistance
	(21) Million
	(22) Target businesses
	(23) Business applicants
	(24) European Social Fund
	In addition to the support shown in the table, there have been a total of eight offers of R&D/Smart grant support for innovative business projects in the St. Helens area, with a total value of £509,000 since 1997.
	Allocations to the Small Business Service, which provides business support across the country, are not broken down by constituency. Since its inception, the Small Business Service in the North West has received allocations as follows.
	
		£ million
		
			 Financial Year Allocation 
		
		
			 2001–02 17.97 
			 2002–03 18.06 
			 2003–04 17.87

Small Businesses

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will place in the Library copies of the small business action plans submitted to her Department by each of the Government departments as part of their regulatory reform action plans.

Nigel Griffiths: Yes. Copies will be placed in the Libraries of the House when it is published early in 2004.

Small Businesses

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many public consultations have been conducted by the Small Business Service since its inception; and if she will make a statement on (a) the response rate and (b) the availability and publication of results in each case.

Nigel Griffiths: The Small Business Service (SBS) has conducted numerous public consultations—formal and informal—since its launch in April 2000. Some have been online consultations, some have been conducted by post, and others have taken the form of public meetings or workshops.
	Three major consultations have been conducted in 2003.
	Bridging the Finance Gap. Consultation on improving access to growth capital for small businesses was launched by the Small Business Service and HM Treasury in April 2003. Public consultation meetings took place in all the English regions and 153 written responses were received by the closing date of August 2003. The Government plans to publish its response shortly. It will be available in hard copy form from DTI publications and on www.sbs.gov.uk.
	The Strategic Framework for Women's Enterprise. The SBS consulted on a draft version of the strategic framework between February and April 2003. Responses were received from nearly 100 individuals and organisations and informed the final version of the strategic framework which was published in May 2003. Copies are available from DTI publications and from www.sbs.gov.uk.
	Graduate Council for Entrepreneurship. The SBS and the Department for Education and Skills consulted about how to establish the Graduate Council announced by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer in Budget 2003. Consultation took place between July and September 2003 with organisations with a direct interest. More than 50 responses were received. The results were presented to respondents at a workshop held in November. The results are available electronically on request from the SBS.
	The Small Business Council—an advisory Non-Departmental Public Body sponsored by the SBS which advises government on small business issues—has undertaken 37 town hall meetings since its launch in May 2000, nine in 2003. Reports of the 2001 and 2002 meetings are available on www.smallbusinesscouncil.org.

Small Businesses

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether her Department has used the small firms database supplied by the Small Business Service for use with the Small Firms' Impact Test since its introduction.

Nigel Griffiths: Yes, on 12 occasions.

Software Patents

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to introduce software patents; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 4 December 2003
	Patents have been granted for some forms of software in the UK and elsewhere for many years. My Department has continued to support proposals to clarify the law on the patentability of software-related inventions across Europe. We will continue to work towards that objective, but we have no plans to extend patent protection to cover all software.

Solicitors (Coalmining Health Claims)

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will lodge a complaint with the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors about double charging by solicitors for handling coalmining health claims.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 4 December 2003
	We have previously referred some cases of concern on other issues to the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors. Unfortunately the OSS will only accept complaints from a claimant regarding the solicitor they have specifically instructed.
	I have received an assurance from the Law Society that they will investigate all cases about solicitors' charging as a matter of urgency. I have received the agreement of the OSS to operate a dedicated phone line for MPs (01926 822173) who wish to discuss constituents complaints.
	Any claimant wishing to make a complaint regarding the conduct of their solicitor should address this to the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors, Victoria Court, 8 Dormer Place, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire CV32 5AE or telephone the OSS helpline on 0845 608 6565.

Solicitors (Coalmining Health Claims)

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will obtain an opinion from the Solicitor-General on the legality of the practice of some solicitors double charging for handling coalmining health claims.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 4 December 2003
	The Department keeps under review the need for legal advice, including whether or not to seek the advice of the Law Officers.
	As my hon. Friend is aware, by long-standing convention and under Exemption 4d—information covered by legal professional privilege, of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information neither the fact of nor the substance of Law Officers advice is disclosed outside Government.

Solicitors (Coalmining Health Claims)

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will issue advertisements informing former miners and their families that solicitors handling coalmining health claims receive payment from her Department in accordance with a fee structure agreed by solicitors representing both sides.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 4 December 2003
	Yes.
	The Department has issued two advertisements in the national and regional press about the lung disease cut-off date. These informed claimants that there should be no need for solicitors or other claims handling organisations to charge a fee or deduct any compensation from them and if any claims handling organisations suggests other wise they should seek advice elsewhere.
	A further advertisement to include this information will be issued in mid December. This advice has also been highlighted in newsletters on the schemes, which are issued regularly, and in update letters to MPs. All coalfield MPs received a note from the claimants' solicitors group on charging issues.

Steel Tariffs (USA)

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations she has received from trade unions regarding the future of employment in the steel industry in the light of the United States imposition of tariffs on steel imports.

Jacqui Smith: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and DTI Ministerial colleagues have met with representatives of the relevant steel trade unions on a number of occasions to discuss a range of issues affecting the UK steel industry, including the US Section 201 tariffs on steel imports. It would be difficult to calculate in a meaningful way what impact these measures would have on future employment in isolation from other factors. However we have been working hard to get these tariffs lifted, and as a result the US Administration announced on 4 December that it had decided to implement the recent WTO Appellate Body ruling by removing the steel safeguards. This is good news for the UK steel industry and everyone who works in it.

Wind Power

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will specify the criteria set by Government which proposers of offshore wind farms need to satisfy to secure approval for development.

Stephen Timms: The process for obtaining approval for the development of an offshore wind farm falls into two main stages.
	First developers need to obtain a site lease from the Crown Estate. In July 2003, the Crown Estate invited bids for seabed leases for offshore wind in three strategic areas; Thames Estuary, Greater Wash and the North West. The criteria being used to assess bids include the financial standing and experience of the applicant, environmental aspects of the proposed site location and the impact on other marine users, and the coherence of the business development plan.
	Second developers must obtain statutory consents including the Electricity Act 1989 (Section 36) and Coast Protection Act 1949 (Section 34) or the Transport and Works Act 1992. In both cases, a licence under Section 5 of the Food and Environment Protection Act (FEPA) 1985 is needed. Developers are required to submit environmental impact assessments to support their applications, which are considered on a case by case basis.
	In assessing whether consent will be granted, departments will take into account the benefits the project will bring in meeting the Government's renewable energy and environmental targets, as well as the impact of the development on the environment, and the other users of the sea, including the fishing and navigation interests.

Wind Power

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the proportion of total UK power that will be generated by wind in each of the next 10 years;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the quantity of wind power that will be generated in the UK in each of the next 10 years.

Patricia Hewitt: DTI does not publish forecasts of the amount of proportion that any particular renewable energy source will contribute towards our electricity supplies in the years ahead.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Licensing Act

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will meet representatives of the licensed trade to discuss fee rates following Royal Assent of the Licensing Act 2003.

Richard Caborn: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, and I have met representatives of the licensed trade on many occasions to discuss fee levels to be prescribed under the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003 and my officials have also been discussing fees with industry representatives since April 2000. We hope to announce shortly the fees that the Secretary of State intends to prescribe under the 2003 Act.

Preventive Health Strategies

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much per head of population has been spent by her Department on preventive health strategies in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003.

Richard Caborn: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Under-secretary of State for Health, Melanie Johnson on 4 December 2003, Official Report, column 182W.

Television Licence

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how much has been spent in each of the last 10 years monitoring and investigating households believed to be avoiding television licence payment;
	(2)  what the operating cost was of the TV Licensing Authority in each of the last 10 years; and what estimates have been made of costs in future years.

Estelle Morris: holding answer 4 December 2003
	The BBC, as Licensing Authority, has indicated that the cost of monitoring and investigating households believed to be evading payment of the television licence fee is not recorded separately from other costs relating to the collection of the licence fee. Total licence fee collection costs for each of the years from 1993–94 to 2002–03 were:
	
		£ million
		
			 Year Cost 
		
		
			 1993–94 89.2 
			 1994–95 91.0 
			 1995–96 95.0 
			 1996–97 96.9 
			 1997–98 109.5 
			 1998–99 133.1 
			 1999–2000 113.9 
			 2000–01 131.9 
			 2001–02 95.4 
			 2002–03 146.4 
		
	
	There are no formal estimates of future collection costs, but the BBC has indicated that it aims to reduce the cost of collection while continuing to reduce the level of evasion.

Television Licence

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people have been successfully prosecuted in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK for failure to own television licences in each of the last 10 years.

Estelle Morris: The available information for England, Wales and Scotland relates to all offences under the Wireless Telegraphy Acts of 1949 and 1967, though the great majority of these involve licence fee evasion. Figures for Northern Ireland, provided by TV Licensing, are available only from 1998 onwards and relate specifically to unlicensed use of a television receiver. The number of convictions recorded in the United Kingdom in each of the last five years for which information is available was:
	
		Number of convictions
		
			 Year Scotland United Kingdom 
		
		
			 1992 13,851 184,136 
			 1993 10,547 179,253 
			 1994 6,822 169,681 
			 1995 6,687 120,482 
			 1996 5,642 170,498 
			 1997 2,893 79,898 
			 1998 1,362 78,804 
			 1999 582 56,929 
			 2000 1,967 108,680 
			 2001 1,345 86,118

Television Licence

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost of a television licence was in each financial year since 1996–97.

Estelle Morris: The television licence fees for each year since 1996–97 were as folows.
	
		
			 Year Black and white licence fee Colour licence fee 
		
		
			 1996–97 30.00 89.50 
			 1997–98 30.50 91.50 
			 1998–99 32.50 97.50 
			 1999–2000 33.50 101.00 
			 2000–01 34.50 104.00 
			 2001–02 36.50 109.00 
			 2002–03 37.50 112.00 
			 2003–04 38.50 116.00

Television Reception

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the proportion of the population of East Sussex who are unable to receive BBC Freeview services.

Estelle Morris: We understand from the BBC that according to figures calculated in March this year, 76.6 per cent. of East Sussex households are currently unable to receive BBC Freeview services, although this figure does not include Brighton or Hove. Further details are available from the BBC's Freeview website at www.freeview.co.uk.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Strangford Lough (Mussels)

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the Environment and Heritage Service report, The Status of Strangford Lough Modiolus Communities will be published.

Angela Smith: This report is an interim report by Queen's University of Belfast (QUB) under contract to the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) of the Department of the Environment.
	It is part of a wider investigation into the ecological status of Strangford Lough. The report will set out the results of a diving survey of Strangford Lough undertaken in summer 2003.
	The report is not yet finalised but it is expected to be published shortly on the EHS internet site (http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/pubs/pubs.shtml). A copy will be placed in the Library.

Animal Transport

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many horses and ponies have been exported from Northern Ireland in each of the last five years to (a) Great Britain and (b) other European destinations.

Ian Pearson: Statistics on the export of horses and ponies to Great Britain are not collected as these animals move freely without any form of certification being required. The European Commission contracts a private company, Eurokom, to collect information on movements of live animals between Member States. They have supplied the following figures for the export of horses from Northern Ireland to European countries other than France and the Republic of Ireland.
	
		
			 Year Number 
		
		
			 1998 4 
			 1999 13 
			 2000 5 
			 2001 112 
			 2002 14 
			 2003 44 
		
	
	Under a tripartite agreement between the UK, Ireland and France no health certification is normally required for movements of horses between these three countries and hence these figures do not include animals which were destined for Ireland and France.

Animal Transport

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to implement new EU rules on animal transport; and if he will make a statement on the protection of the welfare of horses, ponies and other animals during transportation and related operations from Northern Ireland to (a) Great Britain and (b) other European destinations.

Ian Pearson: The Government welcome the publication of the Commission's proposals for new rules on the welfare of animals during transport, but would stress that these proposals are still at the negotiating stage. Whatever rules are adopted will be implemented in Northern Ireland in parallel with implementation in GB.
	For journeys of less than 50 Kilometres within Northern Ireland no certification is necessary. For a journey over 50 Kilometres but under eight hours duration (whether or not involving export from Northern Ireland), horses, ponies and other animals must have a self-certified Animal Transport Certificate, which is issued by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development under the Welfare of Animals Transport Order. No advance notification of such journeys is required. However, the haulier must be in a position to produce the required documentation on demand.
	For journeys over eight hours, transporters must submit a Route Plan in advance of any journey, setting out details of the proposed journey, rest periods etc. Officials check that the haulier is authorised, that the proposed journey times are within the maximum allowable for the species and that all necessary breaks for rest, watering and feeding are included. If assembly centres or staging points are included in the planned journey, staff check that these are EU approved premises. The use of staging points also requires the haulier to provide a statement to the effect that the necessary health requirements will be met there and that the animals are booked into the premises on the dates specified on the Route Plan.
	DARD veterinary staff at the ports and airports inspect the animals to ensure that they are fit for their intended journey, that they meet the health requirements of transit and destination countries and that their means of transport and stocking density are compatible with domestic animal welfare legislation and EU requirements.
	It is only when DARD is satisfied that all these checks have been satisfactorily completed that the animals would be allowed to start their journey.

Benefit Fraud

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action is being taken to tackle benefit fraud; and if he will make a statement.

John Spellar: The Government are totally committed to a robust approach to tackling fraud and abuse of the social security system wherever it occurs.
	The Social Security Agency has a comprehensive and rigorous strategy for combating benefit fraud designed to ensure that:
	claims entering the system are legitimate;
	once in the system claims are maintained properly; and
	where fraud and error do enter the system they are detected and appropriate action is taken.
	From April to October 2003, 5,267 cases of suspected fraud were investigated, of which 2,208 resulted in withdrawal of claims or changes in the rate of benefit paid and 293 were referred for prosecution. In the same period 147 cases were heard in court and 111 convictions obtained.

Breast Cancer

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he has taken to issue clear advice on the risk of breast cancer from hormone replacement therapy; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: Three Professional letters on the subject of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) have been issued recently by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to medical, nursing and pharmaceutical health professionals in Northern Ireland. These are:
	1. Risks and Benefits of HRT—Results of the US Women's Health Initiative and Implications for Long-term use of Combined HRT, issued 11 July 2002.
	2. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and Breast Cancer—results of the UK Million Women Study, issued 8 August 2003.
	3. Further Advice on Safety of HRT: Risk Benefit Unfavourable for First-line use in Prevention of Osteoporosis, issued 4 December 2003.
	The latter two letters have been in response to information from Professor Gordon Duff, Chairman of the Committee on Safety of Medicines, and have contained the same information as issued by the Department of Health to health professionals in England.

Civil Service Salaries

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on Northern Ireland Civil Service salaries for 2003–04.

Ian Pearson: On 5 November Management Side made an offer worth 3.67 per cent. for the non-industrial Civil Service grades up to Grade 6. Ministers consider this fair and reasonable in the context of prevailing economic conditions. The Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance balloted its members on industrial action and has since announced a one-day strike on 11 December. In order to ensure there is no further delay in payment of the 1 April 2003 pay award, Management has decided to proceed with payment of the offer. Departments and Agencies will endeavour to make payments as soon as possible.

Eating Disorders

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on provision for those with eating disorders in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: My Department carried out a review and consultation exercise on eating disorders services. The results of this were issued in March 2003. The major points are the need to: develop services at all levels; increase emphasis on prevention and early detection; carry out further research/assessment of need; provide significant training for statutory and voluntary sector providers; and provide local inpatient unit and outreach services.
	A multi-agency representative Eating Disorders Group has been established to take these recommendations forward and an Action Point has also been included in the Priorities for Action 2003/2004.

Eating Disorders

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in recruiting a consultant psychiatrist with a special interest in eating disorders to replace Dr Clare Adams.

Angela Smith: A doctor with a special interest in eating disorders is at present undergoing specialist training, which it is expected will be completed by August 2004.

Educational Attainment

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the target date is for lowering the proportion of year 12 pupils with no GCSEs or equivalent; and what target percentage has been set.

Jane Kennedy: One of the key education targets set out in the Secretary of State's Draft Northern Ireland Priorities and Budget 2004—2007 is, by 2007, to reduce to 6 per cent. (from 10 per cent. in 2002), the percentage of year 12 pupils with no GCSE in the most disadvantaged post-primary schools.

Influenza

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the risk of an outbreak of Fujian flu in Northern Ireland; what steps he is taking to prevent such an outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (CDSC) (NI) monitors the incidence of infectious diseases here. The CDSC put enhanced surveillance of influenza in place since October 2000. After three relatively quiet years, influenza activity started earlier than usual, with evidence that influenza virus has been circulating in Northern Ireland for a number of weeks. However, GP consultation rates for flu and flu-like illness in NI appear to have peaked for the present time, and are now falling. To date, all isolates of influenza have been identified as influenza A H3 and one isolate has been typed as Fujian strain. It is too early to say if there will be a resurgence of activity later in the season.
	As regards steps to prevent an outbreak, I would refer the hon. member to the reply to her question about influenza vaccination on 4 December (Official Report column 117W).

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to formulate a Northern Ireland arthritis strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety is currently developing a long-term regional strategy for health and wellbeing which will place a greater emphasis on the need to address chronic conditions such as arthritis, through the provision of multi-disciplinary primary and community-based care. Arthritis Care NI has been invited to nominate a member to serve on a working group which will be preparing the regional strategy.
	In the meantime, the Department has made significant additional resources available to reduce waiting times for specialist treatments for arthritis sufferers.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he has taken to increase the number of rheumatologists in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The Consultant medical workforce, across all hospital-based specialties, including rheumatology, is reviewed annually and the numbers in training are adjusted to meet assessed need, subject to available resources. In 2003, the number of consultants devoted exclusively to rheumatology was increased from seven to eight and the number of specialist trainees in rheumatology was increased from five to seven.

Schools Support Programme

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many schools are active in the Schools Support Programme in the (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) grammar sector, broken down by school type.

Jane Kennedy: In the 2003–04 school year 11 controlled primary schools and 10 Catholic maintained primary schools; seven controlled secondary schools and five Catholic maintained secondary schools; and two controlled special school are receiving support under the School Support Programme; no grammar schools or integrated schools are receiving support.

Textile Industry

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many jobs were lost in the textile industry in Northern Ireland in the last three years.

Ian Pearson: Over the three year period to December 2003, there were 5,014 redundancies in the textile industry in Northern Ireland confirmed to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment. The latest figures from the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES), which can be used to estimate the net change in the employee jobs level overall, show that over the three year period, June 2000 to June 2003, there was a net increase of 27,230 (4.3 per cent.) in all employee jobs giving a total of 667,610 employee jobs.

DEFENCE

Iraq

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK civilian fire officers have been operating in Iraq in each month since May; and what plans there are for future deployment.

Adam Ingram: Ministry of Defence Civilian Fire Service personnel in Iraq have comprised one post at Divisional Officer level, supported by 18 civilian fire fighters of various grades from May to July rising to the current level of 21 civilian fire fighters from August.
	The level of support is kept under review in the light of operational circumstances.

Iraq

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are being taken by UK authorities to determine the status of internees held by British forces in Iraq; how long the process of determination will take; what the nationality of the internees is; what assessment has been made of the nature of the threat that they present to Coalition forces; what laws they have broken; whether they enjoy all rights under the Geneva conventions; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Article 78 of the IV Geneva Convention (1949) allows the UK as the Occupying Power to intern people where it considers it necessary for reasons of security. Internees will continue to be held until such time as they are no longer considered a threat to Coalition Forces. A review is conducted at the 10, 28 and 90 day points (and every 90 days thereafter) to determine whether continued internment is necessary. Internees enjoy all their rights under the Geneva Conventions.
	As at 1 December, all internees held by the UK Forces in Iraq are of either Iraqi or Sudanese nationality.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what military intelligence was the basis for the military action in Basra on 5 April which resulted in the killing of 10 members of the Hamoodi family and the destruction of the family home; whether the family were the intended target for this military action; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I am withholding the information under Exemption 1 of Part II of the Code of Conduct on Access to Government Information.

Iraq

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the investigations into Iraqi weapons of mass destruction carried out by coalition forces will report to the Government; and whether the reports will be made public.

Geoff Hoon: Dr. David Kay published his statement on the Interim Progress Report on the Activities of the Iraq Survey Group on 2 October 2003. It can be found at www.cia.gov and copies have been placed in the Library of the House. The classified interim report of the Iraq Survey Group has been received by the Government.
	The Iraq Survey Group will take as long as is necessary to complete its investigations into Iraqi weapons of mass destruction programmes and produce a final report. The Government have already made it clear that the findings of the Iraq Survey Group should be publicly available.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the rules of engagement issued to UK military personnel with reference to their law enforcement duties in Southern Iraq.

Adam Ingram: I refer to the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 November 2003, Official Report, column 500W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Cambridge (Mrs. Campbell).

Iraq

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements have been made for military personnel in Iraq to celebrate Christmas.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 4 December 2003
	Personnel serving in Iraq over Christmas will have the support they need to celebrate Christmas with traditional festive food and activities. The comprehensive operational welfare package has been enhanced by the grant of an additional free phone card providing 20 minutes of phone calls.

Iraq

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements his Department has made to transport Christmas gifts donated by dependants, charities and individuals to military personnel serving in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 4 December 2003
	The Ministry of Defence has made arrangements for the transport of traditional festive fare to British Forces personnel serving in Iraq.
	Family members of UK forces personnel serving in Iraq are entitled to send an unlimited number of parcels up to 2 kg in weight free of charge through the British Forces Post Office (BFPO).
	Gifts donated by charities will be transported to theatre if spare capacity is available on planned flights subject to practical considerations concerning the nature of the consignments.

Iraq

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK supermarkets are being offered Ministry of Defence transport for their Christmas gifts for military personnel serving in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 4 December 2003
	Christmas gifts donated by commercial organisations, including supermarkets, will be delivered to UK forces in Iraq if spare capacity is available on planned flights and subject to practical considerations concerning the nature of the consignments.
	So far, gifts from two donors have been transported in this way. In addition, some other donors have arranged for the commercial transport of their gifts to the Gulf.

Armed Forces Staffing Levels

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how the findings of the End to End Review will affect staffing levels within the armed forces; whether there will be forced redundancies; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I announced the completion of the End to End Review in a statement on 10 September 2003. The E2E recommendations must now be trialled, proven and subjected to financial evaluation and formal Trades Union consultation before implementation. The lessons from recent and on-going operations will also be considered.

Arms Trafficking (Waiver Agreement)

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures have been taken to satisfy the US Administration about the security of information to be provided to UK companies and the British Government under the International Trafficking in Arms Regulations waiver agreement; and when he expects the waiver to come into effect.

Geoff Hoon: The terms of our proposed agreement with the United States Administration for a United Kingdom waiver from the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations, provide for US export licensing requirements to be waived in respect of certain unclassified defence items and technical data. Technical data received under the waiver, although unclassified, will be subject to US regulations concerning re-transfer and end-use. In order to qualify for the waiver, UK companies will need to sign a contract with the Ministry of Defence that contains provisions covering the handling of US technical data. The US Administration has been involved in the drafting of these contracts. Technical data received by the UK Government under the waiver will be safeguarded under our standard procedures for handling such information.
	We hope that the waiver will come into effect next year, subject to Congressional and parliamentary approval, and after the necessary implementing regulations and administrative procedures have been put in place.

Boards of Inquiry

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to ensure that the recommendations made by a board of inquiry become general knowledge and are acted upon throughout HM Armed Services.

Adam Ingram: The purpose of a Board of Inquiry is to investigate the facts of an incident in order to prevent recurrence. Boards of Inquiry records are submitted to the convening authority Headquarters, who determine the measures required to prevent further similar occurrences. These are then sent to Command and Service Headquarters who ensure these are implemented and communicated to the wider Services community as necessary.

Boards of Inquiry

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what form the reports, findings and recommendations of boards of inquiry are made available for military and legal researchers; and for how many years these reports are stored.

Adam Ingram: Board of Inquiry reports are internal Ministry of Defence documents containing personal and confidential information. They are not normally released for external research purposes.
	Reports are retained for at least 50 years.

Boards of Inquiry

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the result was of the investigation into the circumstances of the death in 1997 of Private Ross Collins of Nanstallon near Bodmin in Cornwall; at what time the police were called; what steps were taken to secure evidence at the scene of death; what the conclusions were of their inquiry; what the nature was of the post mortem examination; by whom it was carried out; what the findings were; at what time the relatives of the deceased were informed; what the conclusion was of the Coroner's Inquest; when a board of inquiry was established; when it reported; and what measures were taken as a result of its findings.

Adam Ingram: Primacy for the investigation into a sudden death lies with the appropriate civil police authority. The Coroner returned an open verdict. A Board of Inquiry was not convened in accordance with the normal practice at the time.

Civil Servants

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civil servants were employed by his Department in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: I refer the hon. Member to the information given in UK Defence Statistics 2003, table 2.27, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Counter-Insurgency

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assistance and expertise is being given by the UK to foreign governments and agencies in counter-insurgency techniques;
	(2)  what assistance and expertise is being sought by the UK from foreign governments and agencies in counter-insurgency techniques.

Adam Ingram: Counter insurgency training covers numerous and diverse aspects of military training, both doctrinal and practical. The MOD continues to engage with a number of other Governments on a range of such matters.
	Specific details are being withheld under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, which covers information which, if disclosed, would be harmful to national security, defence or international relations.

Defence Contracts

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many contracts valued at £1 million or more were let by his Department during the financial year 2002–03 without competition; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: During the financial year 2002–03 the Ministry of Defence placed a total of 314 non-competitive contracts valued at £1 million or more. This total represents around 30 per cent. of the number of contracts placed in FY 2002–03 within this value band and reflects the MOD's continued commitment to competition as a means of securing value for money.

Defence Employment (Scotland)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many MOD (a) civilian and (b) service jobs there were at each (i) Navy, (ii) Army, (iii) Royal Air Force and (iv) Reserves defence installation in Scotland for the year ended 1 April; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: Reliable data are not available for civilians at individual defence installations. There were 6,510 civilian staff employed in Scotland as at 1 April 2003 (rounded to the nearest 10). This figure is for full-time equivalent, permanent, industrial and non-industrial staff, excluding Trading Funds, Royal Fleet Auxiliaries and those on career breaks, long term sick leave, secondments etc.
	Information on service personnel by establishment is not held centrally. The numbers of service personnel in Scotland, by local authority area, as at 1 July 2002 are given as follows.
	
		
			  All services Naval Service Army RAF 
		
		
			 Scotland 13,870 4,890 3,040 5,950 
			 City of Aberdeen 10 (25)— 10 (25)— 
			 Aberdeenshire 340 0 0 340 
			 Angus 790 700 90 (25)— 
			 Argyll and Bute 3,930 3,930 0 (25)— 
			 City of Dundee 50 10 40 (25)— 
			 City of Edinburgh 1,420 0 1,400 20 
			 Falkirk (25)— 0 (25)— 0 
			 Fife 1,380 130 30 1,220 
			 City of Glasgow 860 20 830 10 
			 Highland 530 (25)— 520 10 
			 Inverclyde 10 10 0 0 
			 Midlothian 70 0 70 0 
			 Moray 4,280 0 (25)— 4,280 
			 North Ayrshire (25)— 0 (25)— (25)— 
			 Perthshire and Kinross 20 0 20 0 
			 Renfrewshire 10 0 (25)— (25)— 
			 Shetland Islands 30 0 0 30 
			 South Ayrshire 90 90 (25)— 0 
			 Stirling 10 0 10 0 
			 West Lothian (25)— 0 (25)— 0 
			 Cornhaire nan Eilean Siar 20 0 10 20 
		
	
	(25) Denotes less than five.
	Notes:
	1. Data are obtained from TSP 10, which contains figures for UK Regular Forces, both trained and untrained, located in the UK. They therefore exclude Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service personnel, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised reservists.
	2. Naval Service personnel on sea service are included against the local authority containing the homeport of their ship.

Defence Logistics Organisation

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future role and structure of the Defence Logistics Organisation.

Adam Ingram: The role of the Defence Logistics Organisation remains:
	'To decide, provide for, and deliver effective and integrated logistic support and information services to the front line and across the Department at best value for Defence.'
	The DLO Strategic Plan, published November 2002, provides further background, a copy of which can be found in the House of Commons Library.
	The DLO is currently reviewing its structure to ensure that it provides the most effective and efficient way of delivering to its customers. The outcomes of the review will be considered early next year.

Departmental Land

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total area of land owned by his Department within the UK is.

Ivor Caplin: Freehold Land and Foreshore holdings is 220,000 hectares.

Departmental Land

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to sell land within the UK owned by his Department.

Ivor Caplin: The sites on which the Ministry of Defence operates within the United Kingdom are subject to regular review. The aim is to ensure that operational activities are conducted from the best locations commensurate with the primacy of operational effectiveness. The consideration of other key factors affecting our use of the estate includes the full range of sustainability issues, local planning regulations and the cost to the taxpayer of continuing occupation of a site.
	Any site declared surplus to our operational requirements is prepared for disposal in accordance with developed policy. MOD has agreed with the Treasury to generate income of £500 million from the disposal of surplus land and property between 2003–04 and 2005–06. .

Irish Regiments

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Irish citizens have joined (a) the Royal Irish Regiment and (b) the Irish Guards in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Adam Ingram: The total number of Irish citizens who have joined the Irish Guards in each of the last five years is less than five; the total is less than 10. The total number of Irish citizens who have joined the Royal Irish Regiment in the last five years is 30, with fewer than 10 in each of the last five financial years. All numbers are rounded to the nearest five.
	The totals are Irish citizens joining the above named Army units as trained and untrained officers and other ranks in financial years 1998–2003. The nationality is that of nationality at time of recruitment and not necessarily at birth.

Northern Ireland

Harry Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces have served in Northern Ireland.

Adam Ingram: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 20 October 2003, Official Report, columns 374–75W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Hull, North (Mr. McNamara).

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will support an extension of the Non-Proliferation Treaty to include all weapons which present any significant radiological risk.

Adam Ingram: The scope of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is clearly restricted to nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. However, the UK raised the issue of the possible malevolent use of high-level radioactive sources by terrorists in its Statement to the Second Session of the Preparatory Committee for the NPT 2005 Review Conference on 6 May 2003. As we indicated in that Statement, we supported the work of the IAEA in concluding its Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources which was adopted in September this year, and we encourage the IAEA in its more security-focused work relating to radioactive sources. We welcomed the findings of the international conference on the Security of Radioactive Sources held in Vienna in March 2003. We support both the G8 Statement and its Action Plan on securing radioactive sources agreed at the Evian Summit earlier this year.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his US counterparts regarding the 2005 Non-Proliferation Treaty review.

Geoff Hoon: I have had no discussions with my US counterparts about the 2005 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference. UK officials are in contact with US officials on issues relating to the NPT and the 2005 Review Conference.

Road Traffic Accidents

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many deaths of service personnel were due to road traffic accidents in each year since 1990; and how many and what proportion of deaths occurred (a) as part of a combat mission, (b) on military exercises, (c) inside barracks or military premises and (d) in civilian vehicles.

Adam Ingram: Between 1990 and 2002 there were 807 road traffic accident (RTA) deaths among United Kingdom regular Service personnel (both trained and untrained), details of which by year are given in the following table. Of these, the NATO Standard Agreement (STANAG) (2050) coding system used to record injury-related deaths describes six (0.7 per cent.) as having occurred as Battle Casualties, 13 (1.6 per cent.) as having occurred during exercises, and the remaining 788 (97.6 per cent.) as accidental injuries. Information on the civilian ownership of vehicles is not specifically recorded, although 85 (10.6 per cent.) of the RTA deaths described were recorded as having occurred in military-owned vehicles. Information on the number of accidents which occurred inside barracks or on military premises is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		Deaths of Regular Service personnel resulting from Road Traffic Accidents: 1990–2002
		
			 Year Number 
		
		
			 1990 100 
			 1991 91 
			 1992 80 
			 1993 75 
			 1994 58 
			 1995 52 
			 1996 42 
			 1997 51 
			 1998 61 
			 1999 42 
			 2000 45 
			 2001 48 
			 2002 62 
			 Total 807

Service Personnel

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British service personnel are deployed or stationed in (a) Germany, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) Bosnia, (d) Kosovo, (e) Cyprus, (f) Sierra Leone, (g) Afghanistan, (h) the Gulf region, (i) Turkey, (j) Gibraltar, (k) Belize, (l) Kenya, (m) Brunei, (n) Canada, (o) the Falklands and (p) Macedonia.

Adam Ingram: As at the end of November 2003, the approximate number of British service personnel deployed or stationed in the locations specified are shown as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Germany 15,200 
			 Northern Ireland 13,800 
			 Bosnia 1,200 
			 Kosovo 340 
			 Cyprus 3,900 
			 Sierra Leone 120 
			 Afghanistan 330 
			 The Gulf region 9,200 
			 Turkey 20 
			 Gibraltar 410 
			 Belize 30 
			 Kenya 70 
			 Brunei 1,100 
			 Canada 270 
			 The Falklands 1,200 
			 Macedonia 20

Sergeant Steven Roberts

Paul Tyler: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to be able to make available to his family the report of the investigation into the death of Sergeant Steven Roberts in Iraq on 24 March; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: It is not yet clear when the Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch (SIB) investigation will conclude: some evidence has yet to be collected and some witnesses have still to be interviewed. A briefing will be offered to Sergeant Roberts' widow as soon as is practicable once the SIB's findings are known.

Timber

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what means the policy for purchasing timber and timber products of (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies ensures that they are obtained from legal and sustainable sources.

Ivor Caplin: The Ministry of Defence has addressed issues about timber through the introduction of a Defence Contract Condition (DEFCON Number 691) in August 2002. This Contract Condition has three main aims: to inform contractors of the Government policy to procure timber and products containing wood from legal and sustainable sources; to introduce a contractual obligation to comply with that policy; and to ensure collection of data. The Contract Condition is used in appropriate contracts by the Department and is available for use by MOD agencies.

UK/Netherlands Amphibious Capability

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what costs he estimates will be incurred by the proposed development of a joint NATO and European amphibious capability;
	(2)  how the chain of command within the UK/Netherlands amphibious capability will be adapted if this develops into a joint NATO and European amphibious capability.

Geoff Hoon: There is no proposal to develop a joint NATO and European amphibious capability, hence no additional costs are anticipated. Under the five-nation European Amphibious Initiative the amphibious forces of United Kingdom, Netherlands, France, Spain and Italy work together on interoperability and doctrine, and co-ordinate training (which may be with NATO). National amphibious forces are used for NATO or EU crisis management operations only on the decision of the nations concerned. In the case of the UK/Netherlands Amphibious Force, the agreement of both countries is required. There are no plans for this to change.

Foreign Warships

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are being taken to ensure that non-British naval ships docked within United Kingdom waters are not (a) posing environmental problems and (b) a target for potential terrorist activities.

Adam Ingram: Foreign warships visiting ports within the UK have to comply fully with the relevant environmental legislation, including EC directives, which are no different for visiting Royal Navy vessels. Comprehensive arrangements are put in place for the routine disposal of all forms of waste and for rapid response to any leak or spill. Foreign nuclear-powered warships are required to produce assurances concerning reactor safety, aspects of design, crew training and operating procedures, and that they will meet their environmental responsibilities.
	Force protection for visiting warships is provided by a combination of on-board and external security measures, the former being the responsibility of the visiting nation while the latter rests with the UK as host. Where the visit takes place outside a Naval Base, the external security measures fall under the responsibility of the relevant Police Authority. For visits to HM Naval Bases, the Naval Base Commander has overall responsibility for security arrangements, which are kept under constant review. In each case, a security assessment is undertaken in close consultation with the visiting nation to identify which measures need to be put in place commensurate with any perceived threat. These measures can vary considerably depending on the nature of the visit and the threat assessment at any given time.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Children in Care

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children are in local authority care.

Margaret Hodge: The figures available provide a snapshot at March 31 2003. At 31 March 2003 there were 60,800 children looked after by local authorities in England.

Benchmarking Website

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost is of (a) establishing and (b) maintaining the recently launched benchmarking website; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The new benchmarking site was a joint development between the DfES, Ofsted and the Audit Commission building on the already successful Audit Commission site. It allows, for the first time, for all maintained schools in England to be able to compare and contrast their income and expenditure with other similar schools in a consistent way. The ability to benchmark financial information allows schools to identify areas in which savings in school budgets can be made that can then be reinvested into further improvements or redistributed to areas of greatest educational need. The website will also allow schools and LEAs to identify ways in which to improve performance in education at minimal additional cost.
	The cost of designing and building the newly completed Schools Financial Benchmarking website was approximately £220,000. The cost to maintain the website will be just over £10,000 per year. Other costs may be incurred if the application is to be developed further as a result of user feedback.

Business and Enterprise Schools

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of (a) technology, (b) sports, (c) arts, (d) languages, (e) engineering, (f) science, (g) mathematics and computing and (h) business and enterprise specialist schools achieved less than 25 per cent. A* to C grades at GCSE in the last year for which figures are available.

David Miliband: The information requested is provided in the following table.
	
		2002 GCSE/GNVQ results
		
			  Special school type 
			  Technology Sports Arts Languages 
		
		
			 Number of schools where less than 25 per cent. of 15 year olds achieved five or more A*–C grades at GCSE/GNVQ 11 6 4 1 
			 Percentage of schools where less than 25 per cent. of 15 year olds achieved five or more A*C grades at GCSE/GNVQ 3 6 4 1 
		
	
	Specialist schools covers the 674 maintained, mainstream schools which were operational specialists as at September 2002, with 2002 GCSE/GNVQ results.
	2003 GCSE/GNVQ results are due to be published in January 2004, so 2002 figures have been used.
	There were no operational engineering, science, mathematics and computing or business and enterprise specialist schools at the time of the 2002 GCSE/GNVQ examinations.

Child Database

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on plans to launch a database of children in the UK.

Margaret Hodge: The Queen's Speech said that a Bill will be introduced to improve services designed to protect children. Subject to the outcome of consultation on the "Every Child Matters" Green Paper, this will include proposals for local information systems to enable practitioners to share early information about children and young people where this will enable better safeguarding of children and appropriate services being provided to them and their families.

Child Database

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills who will have access to the proposed database of children in the UK; and what steps he will take to prevent unlawful access.

Margaret Hodge: Access to the proposed local databases on children would be given to practitioners on a "need to know" basis. We will put in place stringent access and security arrangements to prevent unlawful access.

Child Database

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what provision there is for subjects on the child database register to be able to amend the information held on them.

Margaret Hodge: Subjects on the child database would have access to the information held about them on the system, except where there is an exemption under the Data Protection Act 1998. Subjects would also be able to comment on any information held on the system that was in need of updating.

Children's Bill

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what subjects he proposes to include in the children's Bill announced in the Queen's Speech.

Margaret Hodge: The Government believes that every child should be given the best start in life supported by services focused around their needs.
	The Government consultation on the "Every Child Matters" Green Paper has just finished and the responses we have received will continue to inform development of the Bill provisions.
	We expect the Bill will include measures to:
	provide for a Children's Commissioner to be appointed as an independent children's champion;
	create the post of Director of Children's Services, to be accountable for local authority education and children's social services, and a lead council member for children;
	require local authorities to set up Local Safeguarding Children Boards which would give those who work with children, for example police and health services, a duty to work together and safeguard and promote children's welfare;
	require local authorities to promote the educational achievement of children in care;
	make provision to enable information sharing between those who work with children; and
	allow for the introduction of a new integrated inspection framework for children's services and appropriate intervention where services are failing.

Children's Bill

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he intends to publish the bill dealing with child protection announced in the Queen's Speech; and in what form.

Margaret Hodge: The consultation on the Green Paper "Every Child Matters" as just finished and we are now analysing the responses in detail. We will continue to discuss with partners how to shape the legislation resulting from the Green Paper and a Bill will be introduced later this Session.

Connexions Advice Centres

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to require Connexions advice centres to be open (a) in evenings and (b) at weekends; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The opening hours of Connexions advice centres are determined by Connexions Partnerships in response to local need. Connexions Partnerships undertake regular consultations with young people and other partners to ensure that access to services reflects demand. A recent survey of Connexions One-Stop-Shops and Access Points found that over half were open in the evenings or at weekends and a third were linked to the Connexions Direct telephone helpline providing out of hours support to young people. As more One-Stop-Shops and Access Points are opened and Connexions Direct is rolled out nationally there will be further improvements in the availability of services in the evenings and at weekends.

Drugs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance has been issued to schools on identifying drug use among pupils.

Stephen Twigg: holding answer 4 December 2003
	The Department has issued two guidance documents for schools on drugs: "Circular 4/95: Drug Prevention and Schools and Protecting Young People: Good practice in drug education in schools and the youth service (1998)". These documents are currently being revised and consolidated and will be reissued in 2004. This follows consultation on draft guidance earlier this year. The document will offer guidance to schools on all drug matters including identifying and managing drug use among pupils and supporting pupils with drug-related needs.

Education (North-west)

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the ratio of teachers per pupil was in (a) nursery, (b) primary and (c) secondary education in (i) St. Helens, (ii) Merseyside and (iii) the North West Region, in each year since 1992.

David Miliband: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools(26): Pupil:Teacher ratio(27)
		
			 Position at January each year1992–2003 Nursery Primary Secondary 
		
		
			 St. Helens(28)
			 1992 20.0 22.8 15.3 
			 1993 20.0 22.2 15.3 
			 1994 20.0 22.0 15.3 
			 1995 20.0 22.2 15.3 
			 1996 20.6 22.9 15.6 
			 1997 20.5 23.3 15.6 
			 1998 21.3 23.2 16.0 
			 1999 21.6 23.6 15.9 
			 2000 22.0 23.2 16.1 
			 2001 19.4 22.9 16.1 
			 2002 18.9 22.4 15.8 
			 2003 17.0 22.9 15.8 
			 
			 Merseyside(28),(29)
			 1992 17.3 22.9 15.6 
			 1993 18.0 23.0 15.9 
			 1994 19.0 23.0 16.1 
			 1995 17.5 23.2 16.1 
			 1996 17.8 23.3 16.2 
			 1997 18.0 23.4 16.3 
			 1998 17.2 23.7 16.5 
			 1999 17.4 23.4 16.5 
			 2000 16.4 23.0 16.6 
			 2001 14.7 22.5 16.2 
			 2002 14.5 21.9 15.7 
			 2003 13.6 21.8 15.8 
			 
			 North West(28),(30)
			 1992 19.1 22.8 15.6 
			 1993 19.4 23.0 16.0 
			 1994 20.4 23.2 16.3 
			 1995 20.2 23.4 16.5 
			 1996 20.0 23.7 16.6 
			 1997 19.6 23.9 16.6 
			 1998 19.3 24.0 16.7 
			 1999 19.0 23.9 16.8 
			 2000 18.7 23.4 16.8 
			 2001 18.1 22.9 16.6 
			 2002 17.1 22.3 16.3 
			 2003 16.2 22.3 16.4 
		
	
	(26) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(27) Only includes the full-time and the full-time equivalent of part-time teachers with qualified teacher status.
	(28) The boundaries for each area are for the year in question. Figures have not been adjusted to take into account of any boundary changes.
	(29) Includes Knowsley, Liverpool, St. Helens, Sefton and Wirral local education authorities.
	(30) Includes Merseyside.

Education (North-west)

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average class sizes in (a) nursery schools, (b) primary education and (c) secondary education in (i) St. Helens, (ii) Merseyside and (iii) the North West Region were, in each year since 1992.

Stephen Twigg: Information on the average class size in nursery schools is not collected centrally. The requested information for primary and secondary schools is shown in the table.
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools(31): average class size(32),(33): position in January each year 1992 to 2003
		
			  Average class size(32),(33) 
			  Primary(34) Secondary(34) 
			  St. Helens (35)Merseyside (36)North west St. Helens (35)Merseyside (36)North west 
		
		
			 1992 27.0 26.6 27.2 19.7 20.3 20.8 
			 1993 26.2 26.7 27.3 19.6 20.5 20.7 
			 1994 26.8 26.8 27.4 19.7 20.7 21.4 
			 1995 27.0 27.1 27.6 20.3 21.0 21.6 
			 1996 27.5 27.0 27.7 20.0 20.9 21.8 
			 1997 27.8 27.1 27.9 19.9 20.9 21.8 
			 1998 27.6 27.2 28.0 20.1 20.9 21.8 
			 1999 27.6 27.0 27.7 20.0 21.1 21.8 
			 2000 27.3 26.7 27.1 20.6 21.3 22.0 
			 2001 26.6 26.1 26.7 20.6 21.1 22.0 
			 2002 26.0 25.5 26.1 20.3 20.8 21.8 
			 2003 26.9 25.3 26.1 20.8 20.8 21.8 
		
	
	(31) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(32) Classes taught by one teacher.
	(33) Classes as taught during one selected period in each school on the day of the Census in January.
	(34) The boundaries for each area are for the year in question. Figures have not been adjusted to take into account of any boundary changes.
	(35) Includes Knowsley, Liverpool, St. Helens, Sefton and Wirral local education authorities.
	(36) Includes Merseyside.
	Source
	Annual Schools' Census

Family Mediation

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to bring forward reform of family courts to enable them to play a greater role in mediation.

Margaret Hodge: The Government encourage the use of family mediation as an alternative to court proceedings in appropriate cases. Mediation can be particularly beneficial in resolving disputes over child contact. Public funding for family mediation is now available throughout England and Wales through the Community Legal Service.
	Courts can allow cases to be adjourned so that parties can attempt to resolve the dispute by using family mediation. As part of its project to reduce the proportion of cases resolved by resort to the courts the Government have arranged a pilot whereby selected courts send out information about family mediation to parties in various family proceedings, including child contact disputes.
	The Government are also testing the provision of a Family Advice and Information Service (FAInS) which will provide advice for people with family difficulties and will facilitate referrals to other appropriate agencies, including family mediation services.

Foundation Degrees

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the total cost has been of introducing foundation degrees;
	(2)  what the total cost is to his Department of the (a) creation and (b) promotion of foundation degree courses.

Alan Johnson: Foundation Degrees were announced by the Secretary of State in February 2000. The budget for Foundation Degrees was included in the 'Grants to HEFCE' and the 'other' Higher Education outturn figures published in the Departmental Report of 2002–03 (page169). The figures are; 2000–01—£4,390 million; 2001–02—£4,798 million; 2002–03—£5,043 million (estimated). Spending plans for Foundation Degrees for the period 2003–04 to 2005–06, totalling £32 million, were published in the White Paper 'The future of higher education' (ISBN: 0 10 157352 9, page 66) and set out clearly against specific activities in "Foundation Degrees—Meeting the need for higher level skills" (ISBN: 1 84478 076 07, page 18) published on 7 October 2003.

GCSEs

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the change in the number of pupils achieving (a) five A*to C grades at GCSE only and (b) five A* to C grades with the addition of a GNVQ between 2000–03.

David Miliband: The statistical information requested is detailed in the following table:
	
		
			Pupils achieving both GCSEs and GNVQs who: Pupils achieving GCSEs only who: 
			 Year Number achieving 5+A*-C GCSE/GNVQ Percentage achieving 5+A*-C Achieved 5+A*-C % Achieved 5+A*-C % Achieved 5+A*-C % 
		
		
			 1999–00 285,718 49.2 4,550 1.6 2,289 0.8 278,880 97.6 
			 2000–01 301,617 50.0 7,962 2.6 3,597 1.2 290,058 96.2 
			 2001–02 312,739 51.6 19,098 6.1 8,367 2.7 285,274 91.2 
			 2002–03 327,301 52.6 40,747 12.4 17,582 5.4 268,972 82.2 
		
	
	Note
	2003 figures are provisional and may change once the performance tables checking process is complete..The figures quoted in the answer relate to the achievements of pupils that were aged 15 at the start of the academic year—ie those pupils aged 15 on 31 August.

GCSEs

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what boundaries were set by the Oxford, Cambridge and RSA awarding body for GCSE grades A* to U in (a) English literature, (b) English language and (c) mathematics in each year from 1988 to 2002.

David Miliband: The answer can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Graduate Income

Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the (a) upper and (b) lower parameters are of Government estimates of extra life-time earnings of graduates;
	(2)  whether Government estimates of extra lifetime earnings of graduates differentiate between (a) different subjects and (b) different professions;
	(3)  whether Government estimates of graduates extra life-time earnings differentiate between male and female graduates.

Alan Johnson: Higher education is undoubtedly a good investment for the average graduate. Individuals with higher education qualifications earn on average around 50 per cent. more than those without. Separate analysis of the benefits of higher education estimates that first degree graduates earn on average around £120,000 more—in present value terms—over their working lives than those with two or more A-levels 1 . This estimate is technically different from the 50 per cent. graduate premium because it controls for background factors that affect earnings, independently of the qualification itself.
	No specific estimates have been made of the extra lifetime earnings of graduates by degree subject, profession or gender. However, other studies suggest that there will inevitably be some variation in the lifetime differential because graduate earnings are influenced by a number of factors, including subject studied and occupational choices, which in turn may differ by gender.
	1 The 50 per cent. graduate earnings premium is derived by dividing the raw average earnings of those with first or sub-degrees by the average earnings of non-graduates. The £120,000 differential is derived by constructing a lifetime earnings stream for first degree graduates and comparing it against the lifetime earnings of A-level holders. Both earnings streams are discounted, adjusted for real earnings growth and other factors affecting earnings, other than the qualification itself. The difference between the two earnings streams sums to £120,000.

Higher Education

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of students in higher education did not complete their degrees in (a) the last year for which data is available, (b) 1997 and (c) 1992.

Alan Johnson: Since 1996–97, information on non-completion rates has been published annually by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in 'Performance Indicators in Higher Education'. The latest figures cover students starting courses in 1999–00; overall non-completion rates for students starting full-time first degree courses in the UK are as follows.
	
		
			 Students starting courses in: Non completion rate (percentage) 
		
		
			 1999–2000 17 
			 1997–98 17 
		
	
	Non completion rates for earlier years were calculated and published by the Department and figures are shown in the table below for 1992/93. These figures also cover students on full-time first degree courses, but the methodology and institutional coverage used by the Department was different to that used by HEFCE, so the two sets of figures are not directly comparable.
	
		
			 Students starting courses in: Non completion rate (percentage) 
		
		
			 1992–93 17 
		
	
	Figures published in 2003 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) show that the UK as a whole has one of the lowest non-completion rates among OECD countries.

Higher Education

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of (a) GCSE and (b) sixth form students have continued to higher education in (i) West Derbyshire, (ii) the East Midlands and (iii) England in each year since 1990.

Alan Johnson: Figures at constituency level are not currently available. However, the available information on participation rates by local authority and region shows the proportion of 18-year-olds entering full-time undergraduate courses in the UK via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), and is given in the table. Comparable figures for the years prior to 1994 are not available centrally.
	It should be noted that the proportions in the table are based only on the number of 18-year-olds entering full-time HE. This is a different definition to the Department's main measures of HE participation: the Age Participation Index (API), which measures the proportion of UK domiciled students who enter full-time HE by the age of 20, and the Initial Entry Rate (IER) which measures the proportion of 17–30 year old English domiciled first time entrants to full or part-time HE. Neither the API nor the IER are calculated for each LEA, because of the lack of detailed data at local authority level.
	
		Proportion of 18-year-olds entering full-time undergraduate courses via UCAS
		
			  Students from: 
			 Year of entry City of Derby(37) Derbyshire(37) East Midlands(38) England 
		
		
			 1994 — 16.1 17.1 17.9 
			 1995 — 16.2 18.6 19.5 
			 1996 — 17.6 19.1 19.9 
			 1997 17.6 19.1 19.8 20.5 
			 1998 16.3 19.9 19.5 20.0 
			 1999 17.9 19.9 19.3 20.0 
			 2000 17.9 20.4 19.8 20.6 
			 2001 19.5 21.9 21.3 21.5 
			 2002 18.5 22.5 21.5 22.0 
		
	
	(37) The local education authority of Derbyshire was split into the City of Derby and Derbyshire due to local government reorganisations in 1997.
	(38) Covers the local education authorities of City of Derby, Derbyshire, Leicester, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire and Rutland.

Independent Schools

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list for each local education authority the (a) number and (b) proportion of children resident in that authority area attending independent schools.

David Miliband: holding answer 2 December 2003
	The number of pupils resident in an authority is only available for pupils attending maintained primary, secondary and all special schools as well as city technology colleges and academies as at January 2003.
	The best available information has been placed in the House of Commons Library and shows (a) the number of pupils attending independent schools that are located in the local education authority (LEA) and (b) these pupils expressed as a percentage of all pupils attending schools within the same LEA. These figures therefore refer to the pupils in such schools irrespective of the pupils' normal place of residence.

Non-resident Parents

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many cases involving disputes over contact with children for non-resident parents involved accusations of sexual abuse in the last year for which figures are available.

Margaret Hodge: Data about the factors underpinning contact applications, such as allegations about injuries caused to children during previous contact with an allegedly violent parent, are not collected, either by the courts or centrally. In recent research commissioned by the Department for Constitutional Affairs in three County Courts from year 2000 files, there were indications that in 22 per cent. of the cases reviewed, physical or emotional abuse towards a family member was indicated. A more specific reference to child sexual abuse appeared in 6 per cent. of cases, though there may be overlap between the two categories.

Pathfinder Projects

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools benefit from Pathfinder projects in the current financial year, broken down by local education authority; and what the total funding made available in the current financial year under the programme is in each education authority area.

Ivan Lewis: The following table shows the number of schools involved in Pathfinder projects, and the total amount of funding available for such projects, in each local education authority in England in 2003–04. A school may be involved in more than one Pathfinder project and it will be counted once for each project. The Pathfinder projects are:
	Key Stage 2 Language Pathfinders launched in September 2003 to find out how primary language learning might best be delivered.
	Diversity Pathfinders, which aim to raise standards through developing a strategic and coherent approach to the expansion of school diversity in secondary schools, particularly in relation to specialist school expansion and inter-school collaboration. The extent to which primary and special schools benefit through collaborative partnerships with secondary schools as a result of Diversity Pathfinders depends on the focus of each Pathfinder project.
	Transforming the School Workforce Pathfinders to pilot new ways of working to relieve teacher workload and raise standards. The learning from these schools and good practice will be shared with other schools across the country. The National Remodelling Team has been established to develop a network of support for all schools building on the learning from the Pathfinder.
	Enterprise Pathfinders, which are exploring the most innovative and effective ways to deliver Enterprise Education in preparation for the new enterprise entitlement from September 2005.
	14–19 Pathfinders designed to test local delivery of 14–19 education and training in a range of settings building on the increasingly distinctive specialisms of local schools, colleges and training providers. There are 39 such Pathfinders based around the country. Details of the number of institutions benefiting from these projects are not held centrally.

Police Officers (Schools)

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the local education authorities where police officers are based in schools; and for each local education authority what funding from his Department is made available in support.

David Miliband: My Department and the Home Office have encouraged schools and the police to set up Safer School Partnerships (police in schools). To fund administrative staff and equipment for SSP officers, those partnerships in Behaviour Improvement Programme (BIP) areas are able to negotiate locally for a share of the area's BIP fund. We are paying over £1 million this year in BIP funds for all eligible activities including SSPs in each of the local education authorities listed as follows. We have many reports of good work achieved by BIP-funded SSPs in their first year. Some areas have also taken the initiative to start SSPs in non-BIP areas, using their own local funds.
	Birmingham
	Bolton
	Bradford
	Brent
	Bristol
	Camden
	Ealing
	Greenwich
	Hackney
	Hammersmith and Fulham
	Haringey
	Hartlepool
	Hounslow
	Hull
	Islington
	Kensington and Chelsea
	Lambeth
	Leeds
	Lewisham
	Liverpool
	Manchester
	Middlesbrough
	Newham
	Nottingham
	Nottinghamshire
	Oldham
	Reading
	Rochdale
	Salford
	Sandwell
	Sheffield
	Slough
	Solihull
	Southwark
	Stoke on Trent
	Tower Hamlets
	Waltham Forest
	Wandsworth
	Westminster
	Wolverhampton.

Post-16 Education

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will publish the protocol for the reorganisation of post-16 education with specific reference to the responsibilities held by (a) local education authorities and (b) local learning and skills commissions.

David Miliband: We have no plans to publish a protocol for the reorganisation of sixth form education, with specific reference to the responsibilities held by Local Education Authorities and local Learning and Skills Councils.
	Section 113A of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 as inserted by section 72 of the Education Act 2002, gave the Learning Skills Council powers from 1 April 2003 to re-organise sixth form provision in schools—including powers to make proposals to establish, alter or discontinue school sixth forms and 16–19 schools. Local LSCs can propose re-organisation following recommendations in an Ofsted Area Inspection Report or where they can demonstrate that the proposals will improve participation, raise standards or broaden the range of provision. The Secretary of State will decide on LSC re-organisation proposals.
	LEAs have powers under sections 28 and 29 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 to publish statutory proposals to change 16–19 provision in schools. They can publish proposals to establish or discontinue secondary schools with sixth forms and 16–19 schools, and to alter provision in a school—for example by the addition or closure of a sixth form. LEAs may implement their proposals if there are no objections, otherwise the proposals will be decided locally by the School Organisation Committee for the area or an independent Adjudicator if the Committee cannot agree.
	Should an LEA publish proposals that impact on final re-organisation proposals as published by the LSC, a decision on the LEA proposals will be deferred pending the Secretary of State's decision on the LSC proposals.

Post-16 Education

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had with (a) Gloucestershire Local Education Authority and (b) Gloucestershire Learning and Skills Commission on the review of post-16 education.

David Miliband: The Secretary of State has had no discussions with Gloucester local education authority or Gloucestershire Learning and Skills Council about the review of post-16 education in Gloucestershire.

Public Service Support Staff

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the number of specialist public service support staff providing support to pre-school nursery and playgroups involved in implementing the foundation stage.

Margaret Hodge: Figures for the total number of public sector staff working with nurseries and pre-schools in the private, independent and voluntary sectors are not available.
	Local authority specialists offer a wide range of support and advice to help maintain the quality of Government funded early education delivered by over 19,000 private, independent and voluntary settings, including nurseries and playgroups.
	Their role includes ensuring that all settings have access to a Qualified Teacher and an Area Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator.
	In addition, as part of the National Primary Strategy, the new Foundation Stage Director, Lesley Staggs, and her team of 12 regionally based experts will be engaging with local authorities to spread effective practice throughout the country.

School Finance

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the extent to which schools have used devolved capital allocations to meet shortfalls on their revenue budgets.

David Miliband: holding answer 4 December 2003
	Local education authorities (LEAs) were requested to provide details of the amount of capital flexibility agreed with their schools by 30 November. The total amount agreed across all LEAs was £40,911,409 (Including Voluntary Aided schools). The total devolved formula allocation for 2003–04 to all LEAs was £681,277,138. This means that the total take up of the flexibility available was 6 per cent.

School Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received on funding for schools in (a) North Yorkshire and (b) the City of York; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: We have received few recent representations about school funding issues in North Yorkshire and the City of York. Since the beginning of September we have, according to our records, received one letter about each. On 29 October my right hon. Friend announced proposals to restore stability to school funding. Further information about funding for next year was announced on 19 November as part of the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement. In 2004–05 all authorities will see an increase in their School Formula Spending Share of at least 5 per cent. per pupil: North Yorkshire's increase is 6 per cent. and the City of York's is 6.8 per cent.

School Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his policy is on how to bridge the funding shortfall for schools in North Yorkshire.

David Miliband: On 29 October my right hon. Friend announced proposals to restore stability to school funding. Among the package of measures, we are ensuring that for 2004–05 all schools will see a guaranteed minimum increase in their per pupil budget amounting to 4 per cent. per pupil where pupil numbers remain the same. In addition, we have ensured that schools will receive an increase in the amounts of Standards Fund, School Standards Grant and funding from the LSC for sixth forms in line with the minimum guarantee.
	We are increasing the School Formula Spending Share by a minimum of 5 per cent. per pupil—North Yorkshire's increase is 6 per cent. This will give the Authority the headroom and flexibility to deliver the guarantee and provide support to help schools facing additional pressures.
	However, if North Yorkshire or any other LEA is able to put forward a compelling case that additional, transitional funds are needed in the short term—above and beyond those already available to the LEA—my right hon. Friend will be prepared to consider bringing forward grant payments from my Department, so that the LEA will have funds available in 2004–05 for this purpose, with the expectation of a consequential reduction to what they will receive in future years. The maximum amount that North Yorkshire might be able to bring forward in this way is would be £604,000.

School Meals

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what provisions are in place to ensure that school meals are balanced and follow the guidelines set down by the Department of Health for healthy eating.

Stephen Twigg: In April 2001, this Department introduced regulations that set nutritional standards for school lunches, together with complementary guidance to assist caterers in preparing school meals. The standards are based on the Government's "Balance of Good Health"—a pictorial representation of the five food groups that make up a healthy balanced diet. The standards prescribe the types of foods that should be available from the four main food groups, along with the frequency with which they should be served. The four main food groups are: fruit and vegetables; starchy foods; meat, fish and other non dairy sources of protein; and milk and dairy foods.
	Research, jointly commissioned by this Department and the Food Standards Agency, is currently underway in 80 secondary schools in England. This will assess whether the food available at lunchtime meets the requirements of the standards and associated guidance. We expect the findings of this exercise to be available in late spring 2004.

School Playing Fields

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many school playing fields have been (a) sold and (b) acquired in each year since 1997.

Stephen Twigg: Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 was introduced on 1 October 1998 to stop the indiscriminate sale of school playing fields that occurred in the 1980s and early to mid 1990s. Local authorities and governing bodies of all maintained schools now need the Secretary of State's consent before they can dispose of a playing field or any part of a playing field. Applications to sell school playing fields are only approved where it is clear that they meet the published criteria and, in particular, that any proceeds will be used to improve school sports provision or education facilities.
	There are no central records of how many school playing fields were sold before October 1998. Between October 1998 and December 1998, the Government approved seven applications to sell school playing fields larger than a sports pitch; 42 applications were approved in 1999, 32 in 2000, 22 in 2001, 23 in 2002, and so far 10 have been approved in 2003.
	There are no central records of how many school playing fields have been acquired.

School Sports

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of the school day is accounted for by sports activities in each county.

Stephen Twigg: The Department for Education and Skills does not collect information on the percentage of the school day devoted to sports activities broken down by county.
	The Government are investing more than £1 billion in England to transform physical education, school sport and club links. The funding will help deliver an ambitious Public Service Agreement target, shared by the Departments for Education and Skills and for Culture, Media and Sport, to increase the percentage of 5 to 16- year-olds who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum to 75 per cent. by 2006. Data collected during the autumn term 2002 suggested that about a third of schools provided this entitlement at Key Stage 1, two fifths at Key Stage 2 and a third at Key Stages 3 and 4. Data are now being collected for the first time—for publication in April 2004—on the number of pupils who choose to take up this entitlement.

Sixth Forms

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance is given to (a) local education authorities and (b) learning and skills commissions on the operation of school sixth forms in rural areas.

David Miliband: No specific guidance has been issued to local education authorities or the Learning and Skills Council on the operation of sixth forms in rural areas.
	Under section 2 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000, the Learning and Skills Council has a duty to secure the provision of proper educational facilities for people who are above compulsory school age but have not attained age 19. LEAs have powers to secure post-16 educational facilities under Section 15A and 15B of the Education Act 1996, which are discretionary.
	Our published principles underpinning 16–19 provision set out our expectation that provision will be organised to show that young people have access, within reasonable travelling distance, to high quality learning opportunities across the school, college and work-based training routes that will meet their interests, aptitudes and aspirations and will promote participation and attainment in learning.

Sixth Forms

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what powers local learning and skills commissions have to overturn recommendations from local education authorities with regard to reorganisation of school sixth forms.

David Miliband: Local education authorities have powers under sections 28 and 29 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 to publish statutory proposals to establish or discontinue schools with sixth forms, including 16–19 schools, and to make changes to schools—for example they may propose to add or close a school sixth form. LEAs may implement their proposals if there are no objections during consultation, otherwise the proposals will be decided locally by the School Organisation Committee for the area.
	If the local Learning and Skills Council disagrees with the proposals it can object during consultation and use its vote on the School Organisation Committee to have the case referred to an independent schools adjudicator.
	Only if the LSC has published final re-organisation proposals do they take precedence over any simultaneous related LEA/school proposals. In these cases a decision on the LEA's proposals must be deferred pending a decision by the Secretary of State on the LSC proposals.

Sixth Forms

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidelines there are on the minimum acceptable size for a school sixth form; and whether these guidelines were communicated to (a) local education authorities, (b) learning and skills commissions and (c) Ofsted.

David Miliband: We do not prescribe a minimum acceptable size of school sixth form. The issue is whether a sixth form provides a high quality, broad curriculum for its students, rather than its size.
	We have made clear in our published principles for the organisation of 16–19 provision that well-managed collaboration can enable popular and successful sixth forms, including small sixth forms, to remain viable and to share and build on their particular areas of expertise.

Special Mediation Courts

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to launch pilots for special mediation courts for parental contact based on the Florida system.

Margaret Hodge: I am actively considering a proposal we have received for a pilot project to divert contact disputes away from the courts. I expect to make an announcement shortly, as part of the work we have been undertaking in formulating a final response to the Children Act Sub-Committee (CASC) report "Making Contact Work".

Specialist Schools

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools gained specialist status in (a) technology, (b) sports, (c) arts, (d) languages, (e) engineering, (f) science, (g) mathematics and computing and (h) business and enterprise (i) before and (ii) after September 2002.

David Miliband: The data requested is given in the table set out as follows.
	
		
			   Gained specialist status: 
			  (i) Before September 2002 (ii) After September 2002 Total 
		
		
			 (a) Technology Colleges 465 60 525 
			 (b) Sports Colleges 161 68 229 
			 (c) Arts Colleges 173 57 230 
			 (d) Language Colleges 162 32 194 
			 (e) Engineering Colleges 4 10 14 
			 (f) Science Colleges 24 97 121 
			 (g) Maths & Computing 12 65 77 
			 (h) Business & Enterprise 18 63 81 
			 Combined specialisms  10 10 
			  1,019 462 1,481

Specialist Schools

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether aptitude selection by specialist schools is permitted under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 in the (a) engineering, (b) mathematics and computing and (c) business and enterprise specialisms.

David Miliband: The specialist subjects covered by the engineering specialism include design and technology and information technology. The specialist subjects covered by the mathematics and computing and the business and enterprise specialisms include information technology.
	Design and technology and information technology are both included in the list of prescribed subjects in the Regulations made under Section 102 of the 1998 School Standards and Framework Act. Schools designated in these three categories could therefore identify a specialism in which to select up to 10 per cent. of their pupils on the basis of their aptitude for that specialism.

Specialist Schools

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools in each region have been awarded specialist status; for what subjects; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The data requested are set out in the following table.
	The Specialist Schools Programme is contributing to the creation of a specialist system in which every secondary school has its own special ethos and works with others to spread best practice and raise standards. There are now specialist schools in all areas of England, and every local education authority that has secondary schools has a specialist school.
	
		Specialist school designations by region
		
			 Region Arts Business and Enterprise Engineering Language Maths and Computing Science Sports Technology Combined Specialisms Total 
		
		
			 North East 9 2 1 9 4 5 16 35 1 82 
			 East Midlands 20 6 2 14 3 11 16 54 1 127 
			 York & the Humber 20 8 2 19 10 10 23 49 2 143 
			 Eastern 26 12 1 22 11 16 23 58 1 170 
			 South West 26 10 2 20 8 18 28 63 1 176 
			 London 30 13  24 12 17 24 57 1 178 
			 West Midlands 32 9 1 18 6 17 31 66  180 
			 South East 31 7 1 34 15 15 32 73 1 209 
			 North West 36 14 4 30 8 12 36 74 2 216 
			 Total 230 81 14 190 77 121 229 529 10 1,481

Specialist Technology Colleges

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools in (a) the North East and (b) each local authority area (i) have been designated and (ii) are being considered for status as a specialist technology college.

David Miliband: The data requested are set out in the following table.
	
		Technology college designations
		
			 LEA/region Technology college designations Being considered for technology college status 
		
		
			 North East region 35 0 
			
			 Local education authorities   
			 London borough of Barking and Dagenham 1 — 
			 London borough of Barnet 3 1 
			 Barnsley 1 — 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 3 — 
			 Bedfordshire 2 — 
			 London borough of Bexley 1 — 
			 Birmingham 17 1 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 3 — 
			 Blackpool — — 
			 Bolton 2 — 
			 Bournemouth 1 — 
			 Bracknell Forest 1 — 
			 Bradford 3 — 
			 London borough of Brent 3 — 
			 Brighton and Hove 2 — 
			 City of Bristol 1 1 
			 London borough of Bromley 5 1 
			 Buckinghamshire 5 — 
			 Bury 1 — 
			 Calderdale 2 — 
			 Cambridgeshire 7 — 
			 London borough of Camden 2 — 
			 Cheshire 8 1 
			 Corporation of London — — 
			 Cornwall 7 — 
			 Coventry 3 1 
			 London borough of Croydon 2 — 
			 Cumbria 5 1 
			 Darlington 2 — 
			 City of Derby 2 — 
			 Derbyshire 8 2 
			 Devon 6 — 
			 Doncaster 3 — 
			 Dorset 5 — 
			 Dudley 1 — 
			 Durham 9 — 
			 London borough of Ealing 3 — 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 4 — 
			 East Sussex 6 — 
			 London borough of Enfield 2 — 
			 Essex 12 1 
			 Gateshead 2 — 
			 Gloucestershire 12 — 
			 London borough of Greenwich 2 — 
			 London borough of Hackney 3 — 
			 Halton 2 — 
			 London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham — — 
			 Hampshire 9 3 
			 London borough of Haringey 1 — 
			 London borough of Harrow 2 — 
			 Hartlepool 1 — 
			 London borough of Havering 2 — 
			 Herefordshire 2 — 
			 Hertfordshire 10 1 
			 London borough of Hillingdon 2 — 
			 London borough of Hounslow 2 — 
			 Isles of Scilly — — 
			 Isle of Wight 1 — 
			 London borough of Islington 1 — 
			 Royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea — — 
			 Kent 12 — 
			 City of Kingston upon Hull 1 — 
			 Royal borough of Kingston- upon-Thames 2 — 
			 Kirklees 5 — 
			 Knowsley — — 
			 London borough of Lambeth 2 — 
			 Lancashire 18 2 
			 Leeds 6 1 
			 Leicester City 2 — 
			 Leicestershire 7 — 
			 London borough of Lewisham — — 
			 Lincolnshire 15 1 
			 Liverpool 7 — 
			 Luton 1 — 
			 Manchester 3 — 
			 Medway 3 — 
			 London borough of Merton 1 — 
			 Middlesborough 1 — 
			 Milton Keynes 1 — 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 5 — 
			 London borough of Newham 3 — 
			 Norfolk 10 — 
			 North East Lincolnshire 2 — 
			 North Lincolnshire 2 — 
			 North Somerset 2 — 
			 North Tyneside 2 — 
			 North Yorkshire 9 1 
			 Northamptonshire 7 — 
			 Northumberland 5 — 
			 City of Nottingham 3 — 
			 Nottinghamshire 9 1 
			 Oldham 2 — 
			 Oxfordshire 7 — 
			 City of Peterborough 2 — 
			 City of Plymouth 4 — 
			 Poole 2 — 
			 Portsmouth 1 — 
			 Reading 2 — 
			 London borough of Redbridge 4 1 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 1 — 
			 London borough of Richmond- upon-Thames — — 
			 Rochdale 2 — 
			 Rotherham 2 — 
			 Rutland 1 — 
			 Salford 1 — 
			 Sandwell 3 — 
			 Sefton 2 — 
			 Sheffield 4 — 
			 Shropshire 6 — 
			 Slough 1 — 
			 Solihull 1 — 
			 Somerset 9 — 
			 South Gloucestershire 3 — 
			 South Tyneside 2 — 
			 Southend-on-Sea 2 — 
			 Southampton 1 — 
			 London borough of Southwark 2 — 
			 St. Helens 2 — 
			 Staffordshire 11 1 
			 Stockport 1 1 
			 Stockon on Tees 2 — 
			 Stoke on Trent 1 1 
			 Suffolk 11 1 
			 Sunderland 3 — 
			 Surrey 12 3 
			 London borough of Sutton 1 — 
			 Swindon 2 — 
			 Tameside 1 — 
			 Telford and Wrekin 2 — 
			 Thurrock 1 — 
			 Torbay 1 — 
			 London borough of Tower Hamlets 1 — 
			 Trafford 3 — 
			 Wakefield 3 — 
			 Walsall 3 — 
			 London borough of Waltham Forest 2 — 
			 London borough of Wandsworth 1 — 
			 Warrington 3 — 
			 Warwickshire 7 1 
			 West Berkshire 3 — 
			 West Sussex 5 — 
			 London borough of Westminster 1 — 
			 Wigan 4 — 
			 Wiltshire 5 1 
			 Royal borough of Windsor and Maidenhead 1 — 
			 Wirral 4 1 
			 Wokingham — — 
			 Wolverhampton 3 — 
			 Worcestershire 6 — 
			 City of York 2 — 
			 Total 529 31

Student Finance

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the reasons are for the increase in interest rates on student loans from 1.3 per cent. to 3.1 per cent.; and what the criteria are for calculating the interest rates applied to student loans.

Alan Johnson: Student loans are not commercial loans. The Government subsidises the actual cost of interest on the loans. However, to make sure that all borrowers pay back the same amount that they borrowed in real terms, the Government uprate the value of what is owed in line with the general rate of inflation. This is done by using the Retail Prices Index (RPI) and fixing the interest charged to that rate. The interest rate on student loans is set every year from 1 September and is based on the RPI for the financial year ending the previous March. For last year this was 1.3 per cent. and for this year it is 3.1 per cent.

Student Finance

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will estimate the period required for full recovery of his proposed top-up fees, given a starting salary threshold for repayment of (a) £15,000, (b) £18,000 and (c) £20,000 per year.

Alan Johnson: The level of loan a student accrues as an undergraduate will depend on the level of fee charged by the university they choose to attend, how much loan they take out to cover that fee, and how much maintenance loan they take out. The time taken to repay that loan will depend not only on the threshold above which repayment commences, but also on the graduate's salary in the years following graduation, and whether they experience any periods during which their earnings drop below the threshold, for example because of career breaks.

Student Finance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what he estimates the annual cost will be of means-testing students from mainland Europe for liability to pay university tuition fees.

Alan Johnson: The public contribution to fees for European Union students in 2001–02 was £17 million. This can be expected to rise slightly with the enlargement of the EU.

Student Finance

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether student teachers on postgraduate teacher training courses will continue to be exempt from tuition fees at all universities and colleges following the introduction of top-up fees; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Paul Farrelly) on 20 November 2003, Official Report, columns 1497–498W.

Unqualified Teachers

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many lessons in (a) mathematics, (b) science and (c) English in each Key Stage were identified in the 2003 Curriculum and Staffing Survey as being taught by teachers without a subject-specific qualification in the subject being taught.

David Miliband: The information is not available in the form requested. The final results of the Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey will include estimates of the total number of periods taught by full-time teachers in secondary schools by subject and level of qualification, but not by Key Stage. These will be published next month in the statistical volume "The School Workforce in England (2003 edition)".

Value Added Data

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to introduce value added data into secondary school performance tables for England which take account of external influences on performance, with particular reference to pupils' economic, social and cultural backgrounds.

David Miliband: The publication in performance tables last year of value added measures based on the prior attainment of each pupil—by far the most important factor in explaining pupil performance—was a ground breaking step forward. It is largely thanks to that publication that value added is now generally understood by the wider educational establishment and is becoming familiar to parents. Now that those foundations have been laid, we can begin to explore more sophisticated systems of adding context to the national test and examination results by exploiting the wealth of pupil level data that are becoming available. Other contextual factors account for only a small further element, and taking them into account would make our approach to value added far more complicated. We therefore need to balance all of these considerations before deciding on the way forward for performance tables. In the meantime, we provide LEAs and schools with a wealth of benchmarking material which allows them to assess their performance and that of their pupils using tools such as the Pupil Achievement Tracker.

Young People (Mental Distress)

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to limit (a) suicide and (b) deliberate self-harm in young people;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to raise public awareness of (a) suicide and (b) deliberate self-harm in young people.

Margaret Hodge: The Department for Education and Skills contributes in a number of ways to reducing suicide and deliberate self-harm among young people. This involves minimising so far as possible the risk factors that may lead to suicide or self-harm. We are doing this by ensuring that all children and young people have the support and services they need, and have a structured programme of learning opportunities through which they can develop self-awareness and confidence needed for life.
	We also seek to raise awareness of these issues. In June 2001 the Department published guidance "Promoting Children's Mental Health within Early Years and School Settings". The guidance and the summary provide useful tools for local education authorities, schools and others who are striving to ensure that the mental health needs of children are met. The guidance includes specific advice on useful approaches to addressing the needs of children and young people who show deliberate self harm or suicidal behaviour. We also encouraged schools to celebrate World Mental Health Day on 10 October.
	Across England, children with behavioural problems, learning difficulties and those exhibiting antisocial behaviour are receiving the greatest proportion of investment from the Children's Fund. This investment underpins the priority being given to mental health and well-being and to the gains to be made in improving self-esteem and consequentially performance at school. 21 per cent. of Children's Fund services which provided information during April-June 2003 explicitly target children with mental health problems.
	The Government's proposals in the Children Bill and the other non-legislative measures in the Green Paper "Every Child Matters" will help us build on the support for young people we have already put in place through Sure Start, full service extended schools, Child and adolescent mental health services, the Connexions Service and the PSHE curriculum and anti-bullying measures in schools. Children's Trusts will provide the means to deliver of integrated, multi-agency services to all children and young people in an area. This will enable the provision of high-quality preventive measures and early interventions tailored to help individual children who may already be considering suicide or engaging in self-harm.

Young People (Mental Distress)

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance is issued through the Connexions service to (a) parents, (b) young people, (c) schools and (d) organisations working with young people on (i) suicide and (ii) deliberate self-harm in young people.

Margaret Hodge: The Connexions service does not issue specific guidance on these subjects. Suicide and deliberate self-harm are very serious issues requiring specialist advice and support. Where young people present with such issues or give cause for concern or where parents, schools or other organisations approach Connexions for guidance. Connexions will take responsibility for ensuring that they are quickly and efficiently linked up with specialist organisations who offer the necessary support and guidance. In all cases, robust child protection policies and procedures will be adhered to.

Young People (Mental Distress)

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what qualifications and expertise Connexions personal advisers have in dealing with young people suffering from mental distress.

Margaret Hodge: Connexions Personal Advisers are trained in an awareness of mental heath issues and in identifying young people who demonstrate behaviour which could indicate mental health disorders but they are not experts in mental health matters. Connexions Personal Advisers can access a range of specialist services for young people. They have links with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and other services that provide the specialist help on mental health problems.

HEALTH

Alcohol Treatment Programmes

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money has been directed towards alcohol treatment programmes by the Government in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The majority of the funding for alcohol treatment is spent via the general budgets of primary care trusts and local social service departments, consistent with provision being determined following a local consideration of need. Latest estimates indicate that around £95 million is spent each year on treatment in England, and that most of this funding is provided by the Government.

Alcohol Treatment Programmes

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the Government's future plans for alcohol treatment strategies.

Melanie Johnson: The Government's Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England is due to be published and implemented from 2004 in accordance with the timetable set out in the NHS Plan.
	This strategy will set the future direction for the development of alcohol treatment.

Ambulance Staff

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on plans to expand the (a) training, (b) qualifications and (c) skills of ambulance staff;
	(2)  whether the planned expansion to the training given to ambulance staff will take place in-house; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  if he will make a statement on changes in the (a) workload and (b) expertise of ambulance (i) paramedics and (ii) technicians.

Rosie Winterton: The latest information available about ambulance workloads is contained in the Department of Health Statistical Bulletin, "Ambulance Services, England 2002–03". A copy of the bulletin is available in the Library and on the Department's website at www.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0313.htm.
	Increases in the workload have meant additional work for all grades of ambulance staff. Clinical and technological advances have extended the nature and range of pre-hospital interventions available. Front line ambulance staff—both technician and paramedic—have undergone further training and developed additional treatment skills leading to higher standards of patient care.
	This has included expanding the role of paramedics to provide more out of hospital care through the administering of clot busting drugs and in some areas being based in general practitioner surgeries. New ways of working have seen ambulance services introducing community/first responder schemes in a number of areas across the country.
	It is the responsibility of local trusts to determine the training needs of their staff.

Ambulance Staff

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which procedure is used to determine whether ambulances should be sent with a police escort when answering an emergency call.

Rosie Winterton: The decision to request a police escort lies with the individual ambulance crew. Policies and procedures for the request of a police escort are agreed at a local level between the ambulance trust and its local police force.

Ankylosing Spondylitis

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans he has to improve treatment facilities for ankylosing spondylitis;
	(2)  what information he has collated on the availability of anti-TNF treatment for ankylosing spondylitis;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the numbers of patients with ankylosing spondylitis who (a) might benefit from anti-TNF treatment and (b) benefit from anti-TNF treatment.

Stephen Ladyman: The anti-TNF drug, Remicade (Infliximab), is licensed for ankylosing spondylitis for patients who have not responded adequately to conventional drugs. It is given by injection into a vein (intravenously) every four to eight weeks.
	Infliximab for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis was referred to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) in October 2003. Until NICE publishes its guidance on treatments for ankylosing spondylitis, national health service bodies are expected to continue with local arrangements for the managed introduction of new technologies where guidance from NICE is not available at the time the technology first became available. These arrangements should involve an assessment of all the available evidence. Funding for such treatments should not be withheld simply because of an absence of guidance from NICE. The anticipated date for publication of the NICE guidance is due on its website at www.nice.org.uk shortly.
	Information is not collected centrally on the number of patients who benefit or who might benefit from anti-TNF treatment. However, the table shows figures which relate to hospital admissions.
	
		Primary diagnosis (ICD-10 M45,-) Ankylosing Spondylitis—Count of finished admission episodes: NHS hospitals, England 2001–02
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Admissions 1,379 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Admissions—Admissions are defined as the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
	2. Diagnosis (Primary Diagnosis)—The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002–03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
	3. Grossing—Figures have not (yet) been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.

Body Mass Index

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has collated on the average body mass index in England for each year since 1990.

Rosie Winterton: Figures for average body mass index in England are available from the Health Survey for England from 1991, when the survey began, for adults and children and are shown in the table. Figures are not available for 1990.
	
		Body mass index (BMI) by survey year and sex -- BMI(kg/m2)
		
			  Men Women Boys(39) Girls(39) 
		
		
			 1991–92(40) 25.7 25.4 — — 
			 1993 25.9 25.7 — — 
			 1994 26.0 25.8 — — 
			 1995 26.1 25.9 17.6 18.0 
			 1996 26.3 26.0 17.7 18.0 
			 1997 26.5 26.2 17.7 18.0 
			 1998 26.5 26.4 17.7 18.2 
			 1999 26.5 26.4 18.1 18.2 
			 2000 26.8 26.6 17.9 18.4 
			 2001 27.0 26.7 18.0 18.3 
			  
			 Bases 
			 1991–92(40) 3,114 3,430 — — 
			 1993 7,247 8,037 — — 
			 1994 6,795 7,884 — — 
			 1995 6,707 7,729 1,890 1,872 
			 1996 6,997 8,064 2,098 1,978 
			 1997 3,685 4,254 2,966 2,975 
			 1998 6,600 7,730 1,908 1,811 
			 1999 3,204 3,699 946 920 
			 2000 3,260 3,703 848 812 
			 2001 6,267 7,414 1,555 1,587 
		
	
	(39) The Health Survey for England collected data on children only from 1995 for children.
	(40) The sample sizes in 1991 and 1992 were smaller than in subsequent years and for reporting purposes the estimates from both years were combined.
	Note:
	Figures for men and women are for ages 16 and over. For children, ages are 2–15, except 2001, which is 0–15.
	Source:
	Health Survey for England, Department of Health.

Breast Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the change has been in non-urgent referral waiting times for breast cancer following the introduction of the two-week target for urgent referrals;
	(2)  what effect the two week urgent referral target for breast cancer patients has had on (a) other and (b) overall waiting times;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effect the emphasis on the two-week target for urgent referrals for breast cancer patients has had on the number of patients that would have previously been put on this list being put on the non-urgent referral list.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 4 December 2003
	Data are not collected centrally on waiting times for those women who were not urgently referred with breast conditions and who were later diagnosed with cancer. The two week waiting time standard has been a success with over 98 per cent. of women with suspected breast cancer now seeing a specialist with two weeks of urgent referral. It is vital that general practitioners (GPs) refer suspected breast cancer appropriately and we have issued GP cancer referral guidelines to assist GPs in determining those patients who need to see a specialist urgently within two weeks.
	However, the two week waiting time standard should not be seen in isolation but as part of the Government's wider programme for improving and modernising cancer services. We are making significant extra investment in cancer services (an extra £570 million a year in 2003–04); the biggest ever single cash investment in cancer equipment; extending breast cancer screening, ensuring the provision of additional doctors and nurses working in new ways, and modernisation of care provision through the cancer services collaborative.
	The maximum waiting time standard of one month from diagnosis to first treatment, from December 2001, also applies to those women who were routinely referred to ensure they receive speedy treatment following diagnosis.

Cancelled Operations

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were cancelled at London hospitals in each of the last 16 quarters for which figures are available; what percentage of the cancelled operations were consequently carried out within four weeks; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: holding answer 2 December 2002
	As part of the NHS Plan cancelled operations guarantee introduced on 1 April 2002, data are collected on the number of operations cancelled by the hospital 'at the last minute' due to non-clinical reasons, and the number of patients not admitted within 28 days of a 'last minute' cancellation.
	Data at England level and by national health service trust and strategic health authority level are available in the Library and on the Department's website at: www.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity/data requests.htm.
	This data includes all London trusts.
	The NHS Plan states that, from 1 April 2002, if a patient's operation is cancelled by the hospital on the day of surgery for non-clinical reasons, the hospital will have to offer another binding date within a maximum of the next 28 days or fund the patient's treatment at the time and hospital of the patient's choice.
	Since 1 April 2003 the guarantee has been extended to cover those patients who are cancelled at the last minute i.e. on the day patients are due to arrive, or after arrival in hospital, or on the day of their operation.
	Notes:
	1. Since 1 April 2003 quarterly data are collected on the number of operations cancelled by the hospital for non-clinical reasons:
	(i) at the last minute (i.e. on the day patients are due to arrive, or after arrival in hospital, or on the day of their operation), and
	(ii) the number of patients not admitted within 28 days of a 'last minute' cancellation.
	2. From 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003, quarterly data were collected on the number of operations cancelled by the hospital for non-clinical reasons:
	(i) on the day of surgery, and
	(ii) the number of patients not admitted within 28 days of a cancellation on the day of surgery.

Choice and Plurality Conference

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the All Data Report of the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority conference on Choice and Plurality in the NHS held on 2 and 3 July.

Stephen Ladyman: Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority forwarded a copy of "Fair for all, Personal to You", their all data report, as part of their response to the national consultation on "Choice, responsiveness and equity in the NHS and social care". The formal consultation ran until 11 November, with a Government document to be published before the end of the year setting out the broad themes that have arisen from the consultation and how these will shape future policy and action.

Correspondence

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South of 9 September on the importation of dietary supplements.

Melanie Johnson: I replied to the hon. Member on 26 November 2003.

Dementia

Tony McWalter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of (a) the number of people suffering from (i) severe dementia and (ii) moderate to severe dementia in Hertfordshire and (b) the number of residential places within the county which might accommodate those with (i) severe dementia and (ii) moderate to severe dementia.

Stephen Ladyman: There is no routine collection of information at national or local level about the number of people living with dementia. Research evidence shows that about five per cent. of the population over 65 has dementia. The research quoted by the older people's national service framework in 2001 estimated that approximately 600,000 people in the United Kingdom have dementia, of whom there are about 17,000 people under the age of 65.
	All care homes which have the client group/service user category of DE (dementia under 65 Years) or DE(E) (dementia over 65 years) are able to accept client/service users with dementia.

Dementia

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what measures (a) have been recently introduced and (b) are proposed to provide appropriate residential care for those less than 50 years of age suffering from dementia in (i) England and (ii) Wirral;
	(2)  what (a) recent measures have been introduced and (b) what measures are proposed to support those under 50 years of age suffering from dementia in (i) England and (ii) Wirral.

Stephen Ladyman: The national service framework for older people includes a standard about promoting good mental health in older people and treating and supporting those older people with depression and people of all ages with dementia. The standard sets out the key interventions required for people with dementia, a service model, action required by the national health service and councils, and milestones for assessing progress.
	In March 2003, my right hon. Friend the Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn), announced that, as part of the eighth wave of its work, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence will be producing guidelines on dementia care. These will benefit people of all ages with dementia.
	Local councils are responsible for identifying the care needs of those living in their area and for purchasing or providing the appropriate care. This includes the need for residential care for people with early onset dementia.

Dentists

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people (a) aged 17 or under and (b) aged 18 or over were registered with an NHS dentist in (i) Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Strategic Health Authority and (ii) the Isle of Wight Primary Care Trust in each of the last five years; and what proportion each represents of the relevant age group.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number and percentage of child and adult registrations in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Strategic Health Authority and each of the primary care trusts in Hampshire and Isle of Wight for September 2002 and 2003 are shown in table 1 together with the registration rates of the relevant populations.
	Table 2 shows the number and percentage of child and adult registration in Isle of Wight health authority and Hampshire health authority areas for September 1999, 2000 and 2001 together with the registration rates of the relevant populations.
	Registrations lapse if patients do not return to their dentists within 15 months. Registrations will exclude patients who haven't been to their general dentist service (GDS) dentist within the past 15 months and patients who receive dental treatment from other national health service dental services.
	Patients wishing to register with a CDS dentist can obtain details of dentists accepting new patients by contacting NHS Direct.
	
		Table 1: General Dental Service: Number of registrations and percentage of the population at 30 September each year— England
		
			  2002 
			 Strategic health authority/Primary care Trust Child registration Percentage Adult registration Percentage 
		
		
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 243 61.9 558 41.1 
			 New Forest 24 69.4 60 44.9 
			 North Hampshire 30 61.1 59 37.2 
			 Isle of Wight 14 52.7 37 35.2 
			 Mid Hampshire 26 69.0 61 46.5 
			 East Hampshire 23 59.1 40 31.0 
			 Portsmouth City 27 66.8 73 53.1 
			 Blackwater Valley and Hart 24 58.4 50 39.2 
			 Southampton City 27 60.7 82 47.6 
			 Fareham and Gosport 24 56.8 48 34.4 
			 Eastleigh and Test Valley South 24 64.0 49 39.4 
		
	
	
		
			  2003 
			 Strategic health authority/Primary care Trust Child registration Percentage Adult registration Percentage 
		
		
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 239 60.9 528 38.9 
			 New Forest 24 68.5 55 41.3 
			 North Hampshire 29 59.9 56 35.9 
			 Isle of Wight 14 51.3 32 30.6 
			 Mid Hampshire 27 71.3 64 48.6 
			 East Hampshire 21 55.0 33 25.3 
			 Portsmouth City 27 66.8 74 53.5 
			 Blackwater Valley and Hart 24 58.9 51 39.7 
			 Southampton City 25 56.1 72 41.9 
			 Fareham and Gosport 22 54.1 39 27.8 
			 Eastleigh and Test Valley South 25 66.8 52 42.4 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Registration numbers are in thousands.
	2. Population data are estimates of 2001 census.
	
		Table 2: General Dental Service: Number of registrations and percentage of the population at 30 September each year—England
		
			  1999 
			 Health authority Childregistration Percentage ofthe population Adultregistration Percentage ofthe population 
		
		
			 Isle of Wight 16 61.6 42 41.6 
			 Portsmouth and South East Hampshire 72 59.1 171 40.6 
			 Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and SE Hampshire combined 88 59.5 214 40.8 
			 North and Mid Hampshire 76 58.5 165 38.3 
			 Southampton and South West Hampshire 79 66.6 201 47.0 
		
	
	
		
			  2000 
			 Health authority Childregistration Percentage ofthe population Adultregistration Percentage ofthe population 
		
		
			 Isle of Wight 16 61.6 43 42.1 
			 Portsmouth and South East Hampshire 74 59.1 167 39.5 
			 Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and SE Hampshire combined 90 60.9 210 40.0 
			 North and Mid Hampshire 79 58.5 175 40.5 
			 Southampton and South West Hampshire 77 66.6 194 45.2 
		
	
	
		
			  2001 
			 Health authority Childregistration Percentage ofthe population Adultregistration Percentage ofthe population 
		
		
			 Isle of Wight — — — — 
			 Portsmouth and South East Hampshire — — — — 
			 Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and SE Hampshire combined 89 60.3 207 39.2 
			 North and Mid Hampshire 79 60.7 177 40.9 
			 Southampton and South West Hampshire 76 64.6 191 44.3 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Registration numbers are in thousands.
	2. Population data are estimates of 1991 and 2001 census.
	3. Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire HA merged in 2001.

Dentists

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists in the Weston-super-Mare constituency (a) offer NHS treatment and (b) have vacancies for NHS patients.

Rosie Winterton: Information is not collected on a constituency basis. Figures for Somerset Primary Care Trust are shown in the table.
	
		General Dental Service (CDS) dentists in North Somerset PCT—30 September 2003
		
			 North Somerset Primary Care Trust Number 
		
		
			 Total 89 
			 Principals 82 
			 Assistants 6 
			 VDPs 1 
		
	
	Note:
	The number of dentists shown are those whose main work is in North Somerset PCT.Source:
	Dental Practice Board
	
		NHS Dental Services: Number of General Dental Service dentists in North Somerset PCT registering charge exempt adults, charge paying adults and children under 18 years for NHS treatment, 4 December 2003
		
			 North Somerset Primary Care Trust Number 
		
		
			 Registering charge paying adults for NHS treatment 10 
			 Registering charge exempt adults for NHS treatment 17 
			 Registering children under 18 years for NHS treatment 24 
		
	
	Note:
	This data has been extracted from the www.nhs.uk website. The information on this site is provided by Primary Care Trusts Webmasters and is used by NHS Direct to advise patients on the availability of dental services in their area.
	Source:
	www.nhs.uk

Departmental Hospitality

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on hospitality in each year since 1997, broken down by main expenditure heading.

Rosie Winterton: Expenditure arises on hospitality only in the context of promoting the Department's business objectives. All such expenditure is made in accordance with published Departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in "Government Accounting". Information on hospitality expenditure since 1997 is shown in the table. A more detailed breakdown is not readily available.
	The expenditure listed is for hospitality provided by both Ministers and officials in the Department.
	
		Department of Health hospitality expenditure
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1996–97 105,192 
			 1997–98 90,883 
			 1998–99 67,953 
			 1999–2000 50,114 
			 2000–01 93,091 
			 2001–02 121,968 
			 2002–03 125,291 
			 2003–04 38,073 
		
	
	Note
	2003–04 expenditure is for April to October 2003.

Diabetes

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will promote research to enable a comparison to be made of (a) mortality and (b) diabetic complication rates from using (i) animal and (ii) human insulin.

Rosie Winterton: I am not aware of any past or current research comparing clinical outcomes, mortality and complications, from treatment with animal or human insulin. It was not a topic which was raised in the public consultation exercise that was organised for the joint Department of Health and Medical Research Council's review of current and future research on diabetes in 2002.

Doctors/Nurses

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) nurses and (b) doctors are employed in the Portsmouth and South East Hampshire health authority.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of nurses and doctors employed by Portsmouth Hospitals National Health Service Trust, Portsmouth City Primary Care Trust and East Hampshire Primary Care Trust is shown in the table.
	
		All NHS doctors and nurses within Hampshire and Isle of Wight strategic health authority and in the specified organisations,as at 30 September 2002 -- Number (headcount)
		
			   Of which: 
			  Hampshire and Isle Of Wight SHA Portsmouth City PCT East Hampshire PCT Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust 
		
		
			 Total doctors(41) 3,595 150 202 569 
			 Of which: 
			 HCHS medical and dental general staff(41) 2,426 45 75 569 
			 General Medical Practitioners(42) 1,169 105 127 — 
			  
			 Total nurses 11,658 473 732 2,019 
			 Of which: 
			 Practice nurses(43) 867 95 98 — 
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 10,791 378 634 2,019 
		
	
	(41) Excludes hospital medical hospital practitioners and hospital medical clinical assistants, most of whom are GPs working part time in hospitals.
	(42) All practitioners include GMS unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs, PMS salaried GPs, restricted principals, assistants, GP registrars, salaried doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS other and GP retainers.
	(43) Practice nurses are employed by unrestricted principals and equivalents (UPEs). UPEs include GMS unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs and PMS salaried GPs.
	Sources:
	Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics
	Department of Health Medical and Dental Workforce Census
	Department of Health Non-medical Workforce Census

Epilepsy

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to reduce the number of epilepsy sufferers estimated to be misdiagnosed or inappropriately treated following referral to an epilepsy clinic.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 4 December 2003
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 19 November 2003, Official Report, column 1111W. We expect several related policies to help reduce the number of people who may be misdiagnosed and inappropriately treated following referral to an epilepsy clinic.
	The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has already made its report of the "National Clinical Audit of Epilepsy Related Death" available to local national health service clinicians and organisations to help improve the management of epilepsy and epilepsy-related death. The NICE clinical guideline for the diagnosis, management and treatment is planned for publication next year and will be available to the NHS to support improvements in services. Additionally, implementation of the clinical quality standards of the new general medical services contract from next April will help improve the management of epilepsy in primary care.
	We are also developing the national service framework (NSF) for long term conditions, which will focus on improving the standard of neurology services across England for conditions such as epilepsy. We currently plan to publish the NSF late next year for implementation from 2005.

Fertility Clinics

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what improvements will need to be made to standards of quality and safety in UK licensed fertility clinics in order to comply with European Union Document No. 10122/03 on the Quality and Safety of Human Tissues and Cells.

Melanie Johnson: The proposed Directive on the quality and safety of human tissues and cells, will, if adopted, set common standards covering donation, procurement, testing, processing, storage and distribution. It will be a legal requirement for all establishments undertaking activities within the scope of the Directive to be inspected and accredited by a designated body in each member state. However, the precise standards of quality and safety required for accreditation have yet to be developed. The Directive will provide for an expert committee to develop detailed annexes setting out the requirements.

Foundation Hospitals

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what powers foundation hospitals will have to appoint their own auditors.

John Hutton: holding answer 1 December 2003
	Schedule 1, Paragraph 22 (2) of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 provides for the Board of Governors to appoint the auditor of a national health service foundation trust.

GPs

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action the Government are taking to increase the number of general practitioners in the Weston Area Health Trust.

Rosie Winterton: We are committed to increasing the general practitioner (GP) work force and have introduced a range of measures to improve GP recruitment and retention. These include financial incentives to new and returning GPs and older GPs who delay their retirement from the national health service, flexible retirement options, a GP Returners Campaign and the Flexible Career Scheme which will help to create additional part-time and flexible posts within general practice.
	We have also substantially increased the number of GP Registrars (GPRs)—the GPs of the future and we expect GPR numbers to grow further this year and beyond.
	I am advised that North Somerset Primary Care Trust is working closely with all practices to provide flexible packages to encourage GPs into the area.

Haemophilia

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he has taken to ensure that recombinant treatment is made available to adults with haemophilia who live in (a) England and (b) Northern Ireland.

Melanie Johnson: We have been working with key stakeholders, including the Haemophilia Society, clinicians, primary care trusts and others to put in place a strategy to roll out access to recombinant products. We aim to begin the roll out as soon as possible. More information about the issues that the working group has had to consider prior to the roll out can be obtained from www.doh.gov.uk/blood/rcfwg.
	Recombinant clotting factors have been made available for all adult haemophilia patients in Northern Ireland, except for a small group of adult patients with severe haemophilia. It is expected that these patients will receive recombinant early in 2004.

HFEA

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much remuneration the Right Reverend Richard Harries, Bishop of Oxford will receive per annum as a member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

Melanie Johnson: Members of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) spend approximately three days a month on HFEA business and receive £169 per day, plus travel and subsistence expenses.

Long-Term Conditions

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the key priorities are of the National Consultation's Expert Group on long-term conditions for (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05.

Stephen Ladyman: Eight national task groups, including one for people with continuing, long-term conditions, contributed to the consultation on choice, responsiveness and equity in the national health service and social care. The Government intend to publish a document shortly setting out the broad themes that have emerged from the national consultation and how these will shape future policy and action.

Long-Term Conditions

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the Government will provide ring-fenced funding to implement the national service framework for long-term conditions.

Stephen Ladyman: We currently plan to publish the national service framework for long-term conditions at the end of next year. Implementation will take place over 10 years from 2005 and will be in line with our overall strategy to support delivery of the NHS Plan, which is to set a clear national framework of standards backed up by independent inspection and, increasingly, to give more responsibility to front-line health and social services providers so that local organisations have more flexibility and freedom to plan, resource and deliver services. As a result we are increasing general funding allocations to local national health service and social care organisations.

Malnutrition

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the (a) causes of malnourishment in England and (b) extent to which the incidence of malnutrition in England has altered since 1990.

Melanie Johnson: Malnourishment is caused by an imbalance of nutrients, particularly energy intake, which impacts on body weight. Eating a balanced diet and keeping physically active helps people to maintain a healthy body weight.
	The table shows the count of finished in year admissions episodes for national health service hospitals in England from 1995–96 to 2001–02, where the primary diagnosis is malnutrition. Comparable data are not available prior to 1995–96.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1995–96 244 
			 1996–97 234 
			 1997–98 249 
			 1998–99 271 
			 1999–2000 234 
			 2000–01 209 
			 2001–02 299 
		
	
	Source:
	Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES), Department of Health.
	In the NHS Plan (2000), the Government made a commitment to reduce under-nutrition by developing a hospital nutrition policy to improve the outcome of care of patients by 2004. A number of measures and strategies are in place to manage, monitor and screen patients for under nutrition in hospitals, residential care and the wider community. Nutritional screening is recommended for the care of specific groups, such as those outlined in the national service framework for older people (2001).

Medicinal Self-administration

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who is responsible for monitoring which hospitals have introduced self-administration schemes for medicines for older people.

Stephen Ladyman: Responsibility for monitoring this service development rests with individual strategic health authorities.

Mental Health Bill

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he will publish the revised Mental Health Bill;
	(2)  whether the consultation responses to the draft Mental Health Bill will be published before the proposed pre-legislative scrutiny committee on the bill is appointed;
	(3)  whether the proposed pre-legislative scrutiny committee on the Mental Health Bill will consider a revised version of the draft Mental Health Bill;
	(4)  what revisions he proposes to make to the draft Mental Health Bill.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 1 December 2003
	A revised and completed Mental Health Bill will be brought forward for pre-legislative scrutiny as soon as possible.
	We have been carefully considering the responses to consultation on the draft Bill that was published in June 2002, and further points raised in subsequent meetings with stakeholders.
	The Government's response to the consultation will be published prior to introduction of the Bill. It will be available in hard copy and on the Department's website. At that time, copies of responses to the draft Bill will be placed in the Library, except in cases where respondents have asked for confidentiality.
	The Government response will set out the changes that have been made to the Bill.

Mental Health Bill

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether he intends that Members of both Houses should be included on the proposed pre-legislative scrutiny committee on the Mental Health Bill;
	(2)  what remit he proposes for the proposed pre-legislative scrutiny committee on the Mental Health Bill.

Rosie Winterton: A revised and completed Mental Health Bill will be brought forward for pre-legislative scrutiny in this session.
	What committee, or form of committee, should conduct the pre-legislative scrutiny is currently under negotiation through the usual channels in both Houses.

Neurological Conditions

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action the Government are taking to collect figures on the numbers of people with neurological conditions in England.

Stephen Ladyman: We do not ask the national health service to collect data on the incidence of individual neurological conditions such as neurology because of the enormous range of conditions and diseases that exist.
	However, the Department of Health has already commissioned a series of research studies, following the announcement of the national service framework (NSF) for long-term conditions, to assist the work of the external reference group. Emphasis has been placed on reviews of existing evidence, rather that on the collection of new data.
	The studies include:
	an epidemiological study of head injury data gathering in four UK sites;
	around (£2 million) of research to underpin the implementation of the NSF;
	a working group looking at research and evidence issues for the NSF.
	Also, the Neurological Alliance recently published a brief review of the numbers of people in the UK with a neurological condition.

NHS Trust Laboratories

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how funding for specialist public health work will be provided to NHS trust laboratories in (a) 2005–06, (b) 2006–07 and (c) 2007–08.

Melanie Johnson: The central funding which supports public health work will continue to be provided to national health service trusts, via the Health Protection Agency (HPA), under service level agreements. Specialist and reference microbiology, for both clinical and public health purposes, is provided by the laboratories of the HPA.
	The public health outputs of NHS microbiology pathology laboratories will be monitored by the HPA's regional microbiologists and their procedures and practices will be inspected by the Department's Inspector of Microbiology.

Pain Management Services

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what waiting-time information he collates on consultant referrals to pain management services.

John Hutton: holding answer 1 December 2003
	The Department does not collect waiting time information on referral from consultant to pain management service.
	The Department does collect waiting time information on written referral from general practitioner to first out-patient appointment with a pain management consultant, and for patients waiting for elective admission where the main specialty is pain management. Latest published information for England on these two areas is shown in the tables.
	
		Patients waiting for 1st consultant out-patient appointment following G(D)P referral: England: Quarter 2 2003–04:Provider based
		
			  Not yet seen at end of quarter who have been waiting (weeks) 
		
		
			 13to <17 859 
			 17 to <21 261 
			 21 to <26 0 
			 26 and over 0 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health form QM08.
	
		Patients waiting for elective in-patient admission and electivein-patient admission events: England: Quarter 2 2003–04: Provider based
		
			   Patients waiting for admission by monthswaiting 
			 Admissiontype Total number of patients waiting for admission Less than 3 months 3–5 months 6–8 months 9–11 months 
		
		
			 Ordinary 264 155 79 27 3 
			 Day case 6,921 4,752 1,523 535 111 
		
	
	
		
			 Admission type Decisions to admit Admissions Failed to attend Removals Self deferrals Suspensions 
		
		
			 Ordinary 442 414 6 81 23 6 
			 Day case 8,589 7,250 341 1,167 552 211 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health forms KH07, KH06 and KH07A.

Pain Management Services

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS has spent in each of the last five years on pain management research.

John Hutton: holding answer 1 December 2003
	Management of much of the research supported by national health service research and development funding is devolved and expenditure at project level is not held centrally by the Department. Details of on-going and recently completed research projects funded by, or of interest to, the NHS are available on the national research register at www.doh.gov.uk/research/nrr.htm.
	Current projects include a £0.7 million trial of a primary-care based cognitive behavioural programme for low back pain, a £0.6 million study of the comparative effectiveness of topical and oral Ibuprofen for the treatment of chronic knee pain in older people, and a £0.6 million study of interventions for pain relief in patients with abdominal malignancy.

Sexual Health

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the average waiting time for each genito-urinary medicine clinic in England from first walking into the clinic to being treated for (a) men and (b) women was in 2003; and what the figures were in (i) 2000 and (ii) 1997;
	(2)  what the average time is an (a) man and (b) woman has had to wait in a (i) genito-urinary medicine clinic and (ii) sexual health clinic between walking into the clinic and being seen by a specialist in 2003; and what the figures were in (A) 2000 and (B) 1997;
	(3)  how many (a) men and (b) women have been initially turned away without treatment from a (i) genito-urinary medicine clinic and (ii) sexual health clinic in the last 24 months; and for what reasons this happened;
	(4)  if he will make a statement on (a) the mean and (b) the median waiting time for (i) men and (ii) women to receive treatment from a sexual health clinic in (A) the last year for which figures are available, (B) 2000 and (C) 1997;
	(5)  what the longest waiting times for treatment in (a) genito-urinary medicine clinics and (b) sexual health clinics was in (i) the last year for which figures are available, (ii) 2000 and (iii) 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  what the average waiting time from first contact with a sexual health clinic to being treated is for (a) men and (b) women in each sexual health clinic in England was in the last year for which figures are available; and what the waiting times were in (i) 2000 and (ii) 1997;
	(7)  how many and what proportion of (a) men and (b) women waited (i) 1 to 3 days, (ii) 4 to 7 days, (iii) 8 to 14 days, (iv) 15 to 21 days, (v) 21 to 28 days and (vi) over 28 days for treatment after their first examination at (A) genito-urinary medicine clinics and (B) sexual health clinics in (1) the last year for which figures are available, (2) 2000 and (3) 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(8)  what the (a) mean and (b) median waiting times for (i) men and (ii) women to receive treatment for a sexually transmitted infection from (A) a GP and (B) a genito-urinary medicine clinic were in (1) the last year for which figures are available, (2) 2000 and (3) 1997;
	(9)  how many genito-urinary medicine clinics provided walk-in facilities in the past and no longer do so.

Melanie Johnson: These data are not currently collected centrally. We are examining with the Health Protection Agency ways in which data on waiting times at genito-urinary medicine clinics can be obtained. Early next year, we will be undertaking pilot surveys in a number of genito-urinary medicine clinics, where patients will be asked to complete a short anonymous questionnaire seeking information on waiting times in days. Because data on postcode will be collected it will be possible to calculate average waiting times for the residents of individual primary care trusts. If the pilots are successful the first main survey of clinics will be undertaken in 2004.

Sexual Health

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on measures to tackle the incidence of sexual ill health; and what steps he is taking to improve access to (a) medical advice and (b) treatment for people suffering from a sexually transmitted infection.

Melanie Johnson: The Government are concerned about the poor state of sexual health and remain committed to tackling increasing rates of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) through the Sexual Health and HIV strategy. Reducing transmissions of STIs is a complex issue that will involve people in changing their behaviour. We are drawing on the best evidence on what works to achieve this. Our "sex lottery'" campaign is designed to improve awareness of STIs and how to avoid them. The Department has invested over £35 million in the past two years in specialist genito-urinary medicine clinics, including an additional £15 million just announced for capital investment. This funding will increase capacity in services and reduce waiting times, thereby helping primary care trusts to offer quicker access to diagnosis and treatment. We are also rolling out a chlamydia screening programme and investing £8 million to convert laboratories in every area to a superior and more reliable test for chlamydia.

Sexual Health

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) sexual health and (b) genito-urinary medicine clinics there are in England; how many there were in (i) 2000 and (ii) 1997; and how many have walk-in facilities.

Melanie Johnson: There are currently 208 genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics in England. In 2000 there were 207 and in 1997 there were 208. The Department is investing £1.8 million this year and in next two financial years to pump-prime development of GUM services in 10 areas and expand service capacity.
	Sexual health clinics are integrated services providing a range of advice, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections and contraception. Data are not collected on numbers of these services or how many clinics provide walk-in facilities.

Speech Therapists

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect "Agenda for Change" will have on the pay levels for speech and language therapists; and if he will make a statement on how it will affect their professional status.

John Hutton: As part of the agreement with trades unions earlier this year on the new national health service pay system, "Agenda for Change", NHS speech and language therapists, like other health service workers, will receive a minimum 10 per cent. increase in basic pay over the period 2003–04 to 2005–06. It is too early to assess in more detail the impact of "Agenda for Change" on speech and language therapists' pay levels. The impact will vary between posts depending on a range of factors, including the national job profile to which the particular post matches or—where there is no match with a national profile—the results of local job evaluation. The national job profiles for speech and language therapists have only recently been agreed with the trade unions.
	"Agenda for Change" will provide a framework for pay and career progression that is fair, consistent and transparent across all groups of NHS staff. It provides greater opportunities to recognise and reward NHS staff who take on extra responsibilities and use increased knowledge and skills in their work. It provides greater scope to create new roles that enable staff to deliver more patient-centred care.

Sports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much per head of population has been spent by his Department on promoting and facilitating sport and physical activity in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003.

Melanie Johnson: This information is not available.

Suicides

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department is taking to reduce the number of suicides happening in December and January; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England recognises that the factors associated with suicides are many and varied. This is why the strategy sets out a broad approach, involving a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public, private and voluntary sectors. The strategy also identifies some groups that are at high risk of suicide and has targeted them for specific action, although the winter months of December and January are not singled out for special attention. Whatever the causes of suicide, and we do not fully understand them all, it is a matter of great concern to the Government and to those delivering mental health services. Improving mental health services is a priority.

Tuberculosis

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of tuberculosis have been reported in the Portsmouth and South East Hampshire health authority area in each year since 2000–01.

Rosie Winterton: Information on notified cases of tuberculosis is collated by the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (CDSC) of the Health Protection Agency through the notification of infectious diseases (NOIDs) system. The number of notified cases in the local and unitary authorities corresponding to the old Portsmouth and South East Hampshire health authority area, since 2000 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number of cases 
		
		
			 2000 8 
			 2001 7 
			 2002 32

Valuing People

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what monitoring his Department has undertaken to ensure that the funding announced to support Valuing People and allocated to strategic health authorities and primary care trusts was spent on initiatives to support Valuing People; how the remaining capital element of the LDDF was spent in 2002–03; and for what reasons the decision was taken to change the way the capital fund was distributed for 2003–04.

Stephen Ladyman: Capital allocations from the Learning Disability Development Fund (LDDF) are included in monthly returns which strategic health authorities (SHAs) make to the Department. It is for SHAs to monitor how individual primary care trusts and national health service trusts use the funds.
	Local authorities provide information to the Department about the use of the revenue element of the LDDF as part of their delivery and improvement statements.
	In 2002–03, the allocation of the LDDF capital was handled centrally. Learning disability partnership boards were invited to submit bids as part of their joint investment plans. £16.7 million of the £20 million available was allocated to support the development priorities for capital investment in the learning disability White Paper "Valuing People". It was not possible to spend the full amount because of the long lead in time on capital projects and the remaining £3.3 million was therefore used on other centrally funded projects.
	In accordance with our policy of decentralisation, it was decided to simplify the procedure for 2003–04 and enable decisions about the use of the money to be taken as closely as possible to the point of spending. The £20 million per annum LDDF capital was therefore distributed to SHAs as part of their three-year strategic capital allocations. This enabled us to issue their funds to them more quickly. Given the long lead in for many capital schemes, making three-year allocations should also enable the SHAs to make better use of the money. SHAs were informed about the change of procedure through the Chief Executive's Bulletin and a more detailed note setting out the priorities for use of the fund was included on the Department's web site.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefit/Pensions Payment

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how pensions will be paid to pensioners with neither a bank account nor a Post Office Card Account.

Chris Pond: Almost 50 per cent. of pensioners are already paid by Direct Payment and 90 per cent. of pensioners already have an account suitable to receive Direct Payment. And for those who do not, new easy to operate accounts, which are accessible at the Post Office, are widely available.
	We have always recognised that there will be a small number of people who we cannot pay directly into an account. Our plan is to design an exceptions method of payment to properly meet the needs of customers in these circumstances. Detailed arrangements for this method of payment are not finalised yet, but it is anticipated that it will be a cheque-based solution. Payment outlets will include Post Office branches.

Benefit/Pensions Payment

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants have (a) phoned his Department to request a Post Office Card Account, (b) completed a Card Account application form and returned it to EDS and (c) returned an invitation pack form with card account details to his Department.

Chris Pond: Key figures on the progress of conversion to Direct Payment are available in the Library, updated every four weeks.
	Information regarding the number of Post Office card account applications completed and returned are matters that fall within the responsibilities of Post Office Ltd. (POL).

Benefit/Pensions Payment

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy (a) to end the practice of his Department's managers and agencies seeking to dissuade claimants from using the Post Office to access their benefits in preference to banks and building societies and (b) to promote the use of the Post Office for such a purpose on an equal basis; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Pond: No such practice exists. All Department for Work and Pensions staff have been provided with information on all of the account options available to the customer. The role of the staff member is to provide factual information and not advise which option the customer should choose. It will be up to the customers themselves to decide which type of account they wish to have their money paid into.

Benefit/Pensions Payment

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what targets his Department set for the number of people opting to use (a) bank or building society accounts and (b) Post Office card accounts to receive their benefits payments; and where these targets are published.

Chris Pond: The Department has a published Public Service Agreement (PSA) that by 2005, 85 per cent. of customers will have their benefits paid by Direct Payment. Direct Payment includes both bank/building society current and basic accounts and the Post Office card account.
	The PSA can be found in the 2002 Spending Review which is available in the House of Commons Library.

Benefit/Pensions Payment

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will withdraw the guidance circulating within his Department that encourages the use only of direct payments of benefits.

Chris Pond: Payment directly into a bank or building society account, including the Post Office card account is the normal method of payment for benefits and pensions.
	All staff have been provided with appropriate, up to date, guidance on all of the account options and it will be up to customers to choose the best account to suit their circumstances.

Chronic Pain

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost of incapacity benefit paid to sufferers of chronic pain in the UK was in 2002–03.

Maria Eagle: The information is not available.

Employers Liability Insurance

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to change enforcement arrangements for employers liability compulsory insurance; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The Department has set out its proposals for changing enforcement arrangements for employers' liability compulsory insurance (ELCI) in the second stage report of the review of ELCI published on 4 December. This also makes reference to the latest research on compliance which has been commissioned by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). A copy of the report is available in the Library.

Health and Safety

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received from the Health and Safety Commission concerning the Health and Safety Executive's priorities.

Des Browne: On 8 October 2003, we launched a consultation on the Health and Safety Commission's draft "Strategy for Workplace Health and Safety in Great Britain to 2010 and beyond". The strategy sets out what the Commission and Health and Safety Executive see as priorities to ensure that the health and safety system remains relevant and effective in the changing economy. It deals with the active management of risk in the workplace, and the need to place greater emphasis on rehabilitation and access to occupational health provision.
	The Commission will shortly finalise and submit the strategy to Ministers. The Commission will then determine programmes of activity to deliver its objectives and targets for improvements in health and safety at work.

Health and Safety

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received from the Health and Safety Commission concerning the setting of measurable targets for the work of the Health and Safety Executive.

Des Browne: The Government and Health and Safety Commission first set targets for health and safety at work in the Revitalising Health and Safety Strategy Statement in June 2000. The Commission set out how they will deliver their contribution to the targets in their Strategic Plan 2001–04 and annual Business Plans. Priority programmes are in place with the aim of addressing those hazards and industries where significant improvements in health and safety are needed to achieve the targets.
	The Commission is introducing high level targets for the Executive's work in major hazard industries intended to achieve a sustained reduction in the occurrence of precursor incidents in these industries between 2004 and 2006. The Commission is also keen to promote improved heath and safety in the public sector and to set measurable targets to secure these improvements.

Housing Benefit

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when district councils will be informed of the element of the rate support grant for handling Housing Benefit.

Chris Pond: Responsibility for payment of the Housing Benefit subsidy element, previously distributed by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, The National Assembly for Wales and the Scottish Executive through the Revenue Support Grant, has been transferred to the Department for Work and Pensions. This element represented the 5.5 per cent. residual subsidy paid to authorities for Rent Allowance, Council Tax Benefit and non Housing Revenue Account Rent Rebates, which supplemented the 95 per cent. direct subsidy we already pay.
	Our agreement that all funding relating to Rent Allowance, Rent Rebate and Council Tax Benefit would transfer to the Department for Work and Pensions from April 2004 provided the opportunity to review all subsidy rates and rules, in order to produce a more transparent and simplified system.
	From April 2004 we will pay all subsidy as a direct grant, payable at 100 per cent. for correct claims. Authorities will not therefore receive any indirect subsidy through the Revenue Support Grant relating to Housing Benefit. Although the overall levels of funding have not changed, we recognise that individual authorities may gain or lose under the new regime; a transitional protection scheme has been put in place, which ensures that no authority will lose more than 1 per cent. in the first year over that which they would have received had the rates not changed.
	A subsidy circular (S9/2003) was issued to all authorities on Monday 1 December to explain the funding changes in greater detail. A copy has been placed in the Library.

New Deal for Communities

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact of the New Deal for Communities since 1998 in (a) West Derbyshire and (b) the East Midlands on (i) reducing crime, (ii) creating jobs and (iii) raising standards in education.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	There are no New Deal for Communities (NDC) Partnerships in West Derbyshire so there is no direct benefit to West Derbyshire from New Deal for Communities programme.
	In the East Midlands, there are three NDC Partnerships, in Leicester (Braunstone), Derby (Derwent) and Nottingham (Radford and Hyson Green).
	The NDC programme is scrutinised and reviewed using two, complementary and linked streams of work:
	a performance management system, which drives annual and mid-year reviews, lead by the Government Offices for the Regions
	the NDC National Evaluation, providing external assessment at partnership, programme and theme level, lead by Sheffield Hallam University.
	The performance management system was introduced in 2003 and used for the first time for the 2002–03 annual reviews. Partnerships reviewed their own performance and the results that they are starting to achieve.
	The evidence provided in these reviews by the NDC Partnerships show that Partnerships in the East Midlands are beginning to make an impact in reducing crime, creating jobs and raising standards in education. For example:
	In Nottingham the NDC has recruited and trained local residents to act as teaching assistants;
	In the Derby NDC area, GCSE results are up 30 per cent. in the first two years of the programme;
	In Braunstone, Leicester, unemployment has fallen from 12.6 per cent. to 8.5 per cent.;
	Nottingham NDC's achievements on reducing crime include target hardening, street lighting, extra policing and Neighbourhood Wardens;
	In the Braunstone area of Leicester, Burglary has fallen by 20 per cent. and vehicle crime by 16 per cent.
	Data from the national NDC evaluation about the progress NDC Partnerships are making towards achieving their outcome targets are now beginning to come through. An overview of the latest position was recently published in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Research Report 7 "New Deal for Communities: The National Evaluation: Annual Report 2002/03". Copies are available in the Library of the House.

New Deal for Communities

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proposals he has to (a) continue and (b) develop New Deal for Communities schemes in (i) West Derbyshire and (ii) the East Midlands.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked reply.
	There are no New Deal for Communities (NDC) schemes in West Derbyshire. There are no plans to develop any NDC schemes in West Derbyshire.
	In the East Midlands, there are three NDC schemes, in Leicester (Braunstone), Derby (Derwent) and Nottingham (Radford and Hyson Green). The Leicester programme is scheduled to complete in seven years (in 2006–07), the Nottingham programme is scheduled to run over 10 years and will continue until 2009/10 and the Derby Partnership, also over 10 years, until 2010–11. There are no plans to develop any further rounds of NDC.

New Deal for Communities

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the (a) schemes and (b) funding made available to West Derbyshire since 1998 under the New Deal for Communities.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	There are no New Deal for Communities (NDC) schemes in the West Derbyshire district and so no funding has been made available in the area under the NDC scheme.

New Deal for Young People

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the finding of the National Audit Office report on the New Deal for Young People of 28 February 2002 on the average annual cost per additional person of any age in employment.

Des Browne: The National Audit Office (NAO) estimates of the average annual cost per additional job were similar to those found in earlier research. Cost per job figures such as those produced by NAO count all the expenditure on the programme up to a point in time, but not all the benefits that will ultimately result from that expenditure—such as social benefits. They are, therefore, likely to over-estimate the long-run cost of the programme to the economy.
	A study by the National Institute for Economic and Social Research found that for every £5 spent on the New Deal for Young People, the Government gets £3 back in higher tax returns and lower social security spending.

Pension Credit

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in West Derbyshire (a) are receiving Pension Credit, (b) are entitled to Pension Credit but are not yet claiming it, (c) are receiving Pension Savings Credit, (d) are entitled to Pension Savings Credit but are not yet claiming it, (e) received free eye tests in the last year for which figures are available, (f) received free TV licences in the last year for which figures are available and (g) will be entitled to winter fuel payment (i) at the standard rate and (ii) at the higher rate for older pensioners in 2003–04; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Information is not available in the format requested. Such information we can give is as follows.
	As at 17 October, 2003 the number of pensioner households receiving Pension Credit in West Derbyshire constituency was 2,185 of whom 1,640 were in receipt of the savings element. Around 300,000 pensioner households in the East Midlands region are entitled to Pension Credit.
	Notes:1. Figures on the number of Pension Credit recipients have been rounded to the nearest five.
	2. Figures are based on 100 per cent. Generalised Matching Service (GMS) data.
	3. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent sample
	For the year ending 31 March, 2003, there were 27,800 free eye tests in the North Derbyshire Health Authority and 40,700 in South Derbyshire Health Authority for people aged 60 and over.
	Notes:
	1. West Derbyshire falls within North Derbyshire and South Derbyshire Health Authorities.
	2. Sight tests cannot be equated to the numbers of patients. Although most people do not come back for a sight test within the year, some patients suffering from medical conditions are advised to have re-examinations sooner.
	3. Everyone over 60, regardless of income, was entitled to free NHS sight tests for this period.
	4. This information is derived from six monthly returns from health authorities.
	5. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	As at 31 May 2003, the number of people in the West Derbyshire constituency aged 75 and over eligible for a free TV licence was 8,600. However, as only one TV licence is required per household, the number of free TV licences issued will be lower than this figure.
	Notes:
	1. Figures based on 5 per cent. data taken from the Client Group Analysis of the population over State Pension age, and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	2. Figures are based on based on those receiving key benefits which are Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Severe Disablement Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Minimum Income Guarantee and State Pension.
	3. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent. sample of people on key benefits.
	The number of people in West Derbyshire parliamentary constituency who received a Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2002–03 was 20,620. We expect the number to be around the same for 2003–04. Of that figure 4,225 were aged 80 and over and we therefore expect a similar number would become eligible to receive a higher amount of Winter Fuel payment.
	Notes:
	1. Figures taken from the Matching Intelligence Data Analysis Service Winter Fuels Payment 2002–03 exercise 100 per cent. data.
	2. 100 per cent. data figures are rounded to the nearest five.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre 100 per cent sample

Pensioners (St. Helens)

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average pensioner income in St. Helens was in each year since 1992.

Malcolm Wicks: Statistically reliable information on average pensioner incomes in St. Helens is not available due to insufficient sample size. St. Helens is in the Government Office Region of North West England. The following table gives average pensioner incomes in North West England between 1994–95 and 2001–02 1 .
	1 Family Resources Survey data is unavailable prior to 1994–95.
	Pensioner incomes in the North West in 2001–02 prices:
	
		Pensioner units North West England
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1994–95 198 
			 1995–96 201 
			 1996–97 206 
			 1997–98 210 
			 1998–99 230 
			 1999–2000 232 
			 2000–01 238 
			 2001–02 239

Pensions

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans the Government have to review the policy of unlimited pension contribution holidays in final salary pension schemes.

Malcolm Wicks: Since pension provision by employers is voluntary, the levels of contributions are a matter for agreement between pension scheme trustees and sponsoring employers.
	Under the new scheme-specific funding regime, which is intended to replace the Minimum Funding Requirement, trustees and sponsoring employers will be required to develop and agree, with the scheme actuary's advice, the funding principles for their scheme—including a determination of whether the level of contributions is sufficient to meet a scheme's long-term pension commitments.
	The new proposed, simpler tax regime for approved pension schemes (set out in the document "Simplifying the taxation of pensions: increasing choice and flexibility for all" (December 2002)) would abolish the rules requiring approved occupational pension schemes to run off their surplus funds (for example by agreeing contributions holidays) or lose their full tax-exempt status. In addition, the document "Action on Occupational Pensions" announced that pension funds will be able to make payments to employers from an actuarial surplus only where the scheme is funded above a level sufficient to secure full buy-out of scheme liabilities".

Post Office Card Account

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will reply to the letter to him of 13 November from the Communication Workers Union on Post Office card accounts.

Chris Pond: I wrote to Andy Furey, of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), on 26 November on behalf of myself and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. My reply covered a number of matters relating to Direct Payment, including those raised in CWU's letter of 13 November to all MPs. A copy of this letter has been placed in the Library.

State Pension (Payment Abroad)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what rules apply to the payment of state pensions to pensioners who retire to Commonwealth countries; and whether they differ according to country.

Malcolm Wicks: State Pension, which is payable abroad, is uprated in the normal way for pensioners living in some Commonwealth countries and certain other countries abroad where there is a legal requirement or a reciprocal social security agreement to do so.
	The Commonwealth countries with which the UK has reciprocal agreements allowing State Pension upratings to be paid are: Barbados, Cyprus, Jamaica, Malta and Mauritius. Pensions are not uprated in any other Commonwealth country.

TREASURY

Annuities

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate the Government has made of the market for index-linked annuities in relation to the supply of index-linked gilts.

Ruth Kelly: No specific assessment has been made. Index-linked gilts make uppart of gross gilt sales and contribute to the Government's overall financing requirement. There are a range of factors affecting the market for annuities of all kinds, including index-linked annuities.

Annuities

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Government's policy is on the expansion of the number of companies from which trustees of employer final salary schemes in wind-up can purchase bulk annuities.

Ruth Kelly: The purchase of bulk annuities is a commercial matter for the companies concerned and the pension scheme trustees.

Cervical Cancer

Patsy Calton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people aged (a) 30–39, (b) 40–49, (c) 50–59 and (d) 60–69 were diagnosed with cervical cancer per 100,000 population in each year since 1986.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mrs. Patsy Calton, dated 8 December 2003
	.
	The latest available figures, for people diagnosed with cervical cancer, are for 2000. The rate of registrations of newly diagnosed cases of cancer of the cervix in England for the age groups requested are given in the table below for the years 1986 to 2000.
	
		Rates per 100,000 women of newly diagnosed cases for cervical(44) cancer in England, selected age groups, 1986–2000.
		
			 Age 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 
		
		
			 30–39 26 25 28 25 24 22 20 20 
			 40–49 26 27 24 23 26 20 18 20 
			 50–59 23 23 26 21 23 18 17 16 
			 60–69 31 30 29 28 28 23 20 17 
		
	
	
		
			 Age 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 
		
		
			 30–39 19 17 17 16 17 16 14 
			 40–49 18 17 17 16 15 16 15 
			 50–59 15 14 13 13 12 13 11 
			 60–69 16 16 14 13 13 13 11 
		
	
	(44) For the years 1986 to 1994, International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision Code (ICD-9), code 180. For the years 1995 to 2000, International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10), code C53.
	Source:Office for National Statistics.

Child Benefit

George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what amount of child benefit he estimates was saved as a result of children being in local authority care in the last 12 months for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the annual cost would be of providing child benefit for children in local authority care.

Dawn Primarolo: Local authorities provide financial support for children in care under section 23 of the Children Act 1989. The amount of child benefit that would be paid in respect of children in local authority care would depend on the rate or rates payable. The total cost to public funds of making these payments would depend on what other changes were made to the financing of the care.

Child Benefit

George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the take-up of child benefit as a percentage of those eligible was in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: Precise figures are not available, but the take up rate of child benefit is thought to be around 98 per cent.

Pregnancy Statistics

Patsy Calton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many pregnancies in females under the age of 20 there were in each year since 1986 per 100,000 population.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mrs. Patsy Calton, dated 8 December 2003
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many pregnancies in females under the age of 20 there were in each year since 1986 per 100,000 population. (141995)
	Prior to 1987, the method used for calculating mother's age at conception was not comparable to that used in later years.
	The data shown in the attached table are for 1987 to 2001, the latest year available. Please note that these data only cover conceptions that led to a maternity (i.e a live or still birth). Conceptions which resulted in miscarriage or termination are not included.
	
		Conceptions leading to maternities (numbers and rates), 1987–2001—England and Wales. Women aged under 20
		
			 Year Number Rate** 
		
		
			 1987 79,227 42.6 
			 1988 76,167 42.2 
			 1989 74,502 43.0 
			 1990 72,825 43.7 
			 1991 66,576 42.0 
			 1992 61,770 40.9 
			 1993 57,303 39.3 
			 1994 55,723 38.3 
			 1995 56,639 38.4 
			 1996 60,485 40.2 
			 1997 60,708 39.7 
			 1998 63,216 40.9 
			 1999 60,661 39.0 
			 2000 59,238 38.1 
			 2001* 57,221 36.3 
		
	
	* Figures for 2001 are provisional.
	** Rates per 1,000 women aged 15–19.

Pregnancy Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many births to girls conceiving under the age of 16 there were in each local authority area in Wales in each of the past 20 years, expressed as a percentage of the total population of girls under 16 in each local authority area.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Chris Ruane dated 8 December 2003
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many births to girls conceiving under the age of 16 there were in each local authority in Wales in each of the past 20 years, as expressed as a percentage of the total population of girls under 16 in each local authority area. (142631)
	Population figures by local authority prior to 1991 are not available by single year of age. It is therefore not possible to provide percentage calculations for under 16s for this period.
	Figures shown in the attached table are for 1991 to 2001, the latest year for which data are available.
	
		Births to girls conceiving under the age of 16: Number and percentage of total population of girls aged under 16, Wales—1991 to 2001
		
			  1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 
			  Births % Births % Births % Births % Births % Births % 
		
		
			  
			  
			 Blaenau Gwent 10 0.1 8 0.1 11 0.1 16 0.2 14 0.2 16 0.2 
			 Bridgend 10 0.1 18 0.1 14 0.1 16 0.1 22 0.2 27 0.2 
			 Caerphilly 15 0.1 28 0.2 28 0.1 27 0.1 36 0.2 36 0.2 
			 Cardiff 23 0.1 33 0.1 30 0.1 20 0.1 40 0.1 39 0.1 
			 Carmarthenshire 7 0.0 9 0.1 10 0.1 12 0.1 7 0.0 11 0.1 
			 Ceredigion (45)— (45)— (45)— (12) (45)— (45)— (45)— (45)— (45)— (45)— (45)— (45)— 
			 Conwy 3 0.0 6 0.1 10 0.1 9 0.1 12 0.1 16 0.2 
			 Denbighshire 5 0.1 5 0.1 6 0.1 9 0.1 (45)— (45)— 8 0.1 
			 Flintshire 4 0.0 8 0.1 14 0.1 9 0.1 10 0.1 14 0.1 
			 Gwynedd 7 0.1 10 0.1 9 0.1 7 0.1 (45)— (45)— 12 0.1 
			 Isle of Anglesey 5 0.1 7 0.1 9 0.1 5 0.1 6 0.1 (45)— (45)— 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 7 0.1 16 0.2 13 0.2 14 0.2 12 0.2 8 0.1 
			 Monmouthshire 4 0.1 5 0.1 (45)— (45)— 5 0.1 7 0.1 9 0.1 
			 Neath Port Talbot 10 0.1 8 0.1 12 0.1 8 0.1 25 0.2 9 0.1 
			 Newport 21 0.1 16 0.1 19 0.1 25 0.2 14 0.1 16 0.1 
			 Pembrokeshire .(45)— (45)— (45)— 1— 7 0.1 6 0.1 7 0.1 10 0.1 
			 Powys 7 0.1 4 0.0 6 0.1 (45)— (45)— 6 0.1 7 0.1 
			 Rhondda, Cynon, Taff 39 0.2 25 0.1 26 0.1 25 0.1 40 0.2 39 0.2 
			 Swansea 22 0.1 12 0.1 15 0.1 20 0.1 27 0.1 34 0.2 
			 The Vale of Glamorgan 8 0.1 9 0.1 (45)— (45)—. 13 0.1 10 0.1 12 0.1 
			 Torfaen 7 0.1 9 0.1 9 0.1 18 0.2 12 0.1 17 0.2 
			 Wrexham 13 0.1 12 0.1 11 0.1 8 0.1 14 0.1 13 0.1 
			 Wales 230 0.1 253 0.1 267 0.1 276 0.1 330 0.1 360 0.1 
		
	
	
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001(46) 
			 Unitary authority Births % Births % Births % Births % Births %(47) 
		
		
			 Blaenau Gwent 10 0.1 17 0.2 9 0.1 13 0.2 13 0.2 
			 Bridgend 16 0.1 21 0.2 13 0.1 20 0.2 11 0.1 
			 Caerphilly 32 0.2 26 0.1 24 0.1 28 0.2 16 0.1 
			 Cardiff 37 0.1 40 0.1 34 0.1 23 0.1 25 0.1 
			 Carmarthenshire 12 0.1 15 0.1 12 0.1 12 0.1 12 0.1 
			 Ceredigion 5 0.1 (45)— (45)— (45)— (45)— 5 0.1 (12) (45)— 
			 Conwy 11 0.1 7 0.1 14 0.1 7 0.1 8 0.1 
			 Denbighshire 7 0.1 9 0.1 5 0.1 10 0.1 6 0.1 
			 Flintshire 10 0.1 13 0.1 21 0.1 5 0.0 7 0.0 
			 Gwynedd 9 0.1 (45)— (45)— 5 0.0 10 0.1 12 0.1 
			 Isle of Anglesey (45)— (45)— 5 0.1 5 0.1 (45)— (45)— (45)— (45)— 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 9 0.1 13 0.2 11 0.2 11 0.2 12 0.2 
			 Monmouthshire (45)— (45)— (45)— (45)— (45)— (45)— 5 0.1 4 0.0 
			 Neath Port Talbot 11 0.1 16 0.1 9 0.1 16 0.1 13 0.1 
			 Newport 19 0.1 12 0.1 21 0.1 10 0.1 13 0.1 
			 Pembrokeshire 5 0.0 12 0.1 5 0.0 10 0.1 (45)— (45)— 
			 Powys 4 0.0 8 0.1 8 0.1 7 0.1 4 0.0 
			 Rhondda, Cynon, Taff 45 0.2 32 0.1 25 0.1 26 0.1 32 0.1 
			 Swansea 30 0.1 38 0.2 25 0.1 23 0.1 21 0.1 
			 The Vale of Glamorgan 17 0.1 9 0.1 10 0.1 (45)— (45)— 8 0.1 
			 Torfaen 10 0.1 12 0.1 6 0.1 9 0.1 7 0.1 
			 Wrexham 15 0.1 8 0.1 15 0.1 9 0.1 (45)— (45)— 
			 Wales 318 0.1 322 0.1 282 0.1 265 0.1 235 0.1 
		
	
	(45) Figure supporessed to prevent disclosure of a count less than 3 or disclosure by differencing.
	(46) 2001 conception data are provisional.
	(47) 2001 percentages are based on revised population figures. All other years are subject to futher revision.

Preventive Health Strategies

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much per head of population has been spent by the Government on preventive health strategies in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003.

Paul Boateng: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister for Public Health gave to him on 4 December 2003 (Official Report, column 182W).

Aid and Trade Conference

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list those invited to the conference the Treasury is hosting in February 2004 to discuss aid and trade.

John Healey: The Treasury is delighted to be hosting a conference on behalf of Lord Carey of Clifton and Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach to discuss issues surrounding trade and aid. The conference is being organised by Christian Responsibility in Public Affairs whose invitees will include representatives from faith groups, media, business, government, and non-governmental organisations from across the UK.

Air Passenger Duty

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Government's policy is on (a) reducing and (b) providing an exemption from air passenger duty for (i) Merseyside and (ii) Objective 1 areas.

John Healey: The Government have no such plans.

Art Acquisition

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on the acquisition of works of art in each year since 1997, broken down by amounts spent on (a) paintings and (b) sculpture; what the single most expensive piece of art purchased by his Department since 1997 was; how much it cost; and what the total revenue raised by his Department through sales of its works of art has been since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: The amount spent by the Treasury is as follows.
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1997–98 to 2001–02 nil 
			 2002–03 46,534 
			 2003–04 41,505 
		
	
	This expenditure relates to paintings, prints and photography for the Treasury's refurbished building, occupied in the summer of 2002. The most expensive pieces were two items at £3,500 each; the next most expensive was £525. No works of sculpture have been acquired. No departmental-owned works of art have been sold during this period.

Census (2001)

Tim Collins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will publish the results of the 2001 census at parish level; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Tim Collins, dated 8 December 2003
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking when the results of the 2001 Census at parish level will be published. (142330)
	The results of the 2001 Census for parishes in England and communities in Wales form part of the series of reports to Parliament. Although the remaining release timetable is currently under review, it is planned to release the parish results in March 2004.
	Results for many parishes can already be derived using the results for small areas published in August-September 2003, together with information also available from the Office for National Statistics on how these small areas relate to parishes.

Council Tax

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the proportion of income represented by net payments of council tax after benefits in each income quintile from 1996–97.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	National Statistician and Registrar General
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Jim Cousins dated 8 December 2003
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking for the proportion of income represented by net payments of council tax after benefits in each income quintile group from 1996–97 onwards. (142419)
	Estimates in the following table are produced from the Office for National Statistics' analysis "The effects of taxes and benefits on household income" published on the National Statistics website on October 21st 2003 at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/taxesbenefits. The analysis includes measures of income inequality for the United Kingdom as a whole based on data from the Expenditure and Food Survey. This is a sample survey covering about 7,500 households in the UK and sample sizes are only sufficient to give approximate estimates. In particular, results for the lowest quintile are less reliable than for others because of greater variability. The Family Resources Survey would have been an alternative source with a larger sample size, but the taxes and benefits analysis has been used for consistency with answers to other recent parliamentary questions.
	The table shows, from 1996–97 to 2001–02, the net council tax paid by all households in Great Britain as a percentage of gross income and for each income quintile group where households are ranked by equivalised disposable income. Council tax is not paid in Northern Ireland. Equivalisation is a standard methodology that takes into account the size and composition of households and adjusts their incomes to recognise differing demands on resources. The net council tax figures are gross council tax less reported council tax benefits and discounts. The table also shows the boundaries between equivalised disposable income quintiles for GB. For example, the 1st quintile boundary is the income level below which one fifth of those households are estimated to lie.
	
		Net council tax paid as a percentage of gross income by equlvalised disposable income quintile, 1996–97 to 2001–02: Great Britain
		
			  1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 
			 Quintile Income boundary (£ per year) Net council tax as % of gross income Income boundary(48) (£ per year) Net council tax as % of gross income Income boundary (£ per year) Net council tax as % of gross income 
		
		
			 Bottom  3.2  3.3  3.9 
			  8,059  8,564  8,832  
			 2nd  2.8  2.9  3.1 
			  11,393  11,936  12,582  
			 3rd  2.4  Z5  2.6 
			  15,619  16,442  17,281  
			 4th  2.0  2.0  2.1 
			  22,063  23,588  24,384  
			 Top  1.3  1.4  1.4 
			 Average for all households  1.9  2.0  2.1 
		
	
	
		
			   1999–2000  2000–01  2001–02 
			 Quintile Income boundary(48)(£ per year) Net council tax as % of gross income Income boundary(48)(£ per year) Net council tax as % of gross income Income boundary(48)(£ per year) Net council tax as % of gross income 
		
		
			 Bottom  4.2  4.2  4.8 
			  9,193  9,821  10,397  
			 2nd  3.4  3.3  3.3 
			  13,221  13,893  14,717  
			 3rd  2.7  2.1  2.8 
			  18,324  19,134  20,042  
			 4th  2.2  2.2  2.3 
			  26,295  27,296  28,596  
			 Top  1.4  1.5  1.4 
			 Average for all households  2.2  2.2  2.2 
		
	
	(48) Boundary point between equivalised disposable income quantities
	Source
	Office for national Statistics, based on the analysis 'The effect of taxes and benefits on household income', published on the ONS website and in Economic Trends.

Customs (Shoreham Harbour)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the future of the HM Customs Unit based at Shoreham Harbour.

John Healey: UK criminality is becoming ever more sophisticated and organised. To meet these threats Customs need to change tactics and respond by operating more flexibly and organising and targeting their law enforcement activity to respond to the greatest risks.
	The activities carried out by Customs staff based in Shoreham are no longer concentrated in and around the locality. More often the operational teams will be working together with colleagues from larger principal offices dealing with criminals who operate on a UK-wide scale. Customs have therefore outlined proposals to consider bringing together posts from Shoreham with other Law Enforcement staff in larger centralised locations by 2006.
	I am informed that discussions with local staff affected by these proposals and with the departmental trade union will take place before any final decisions are taken.

EU Aid Budget

John McFall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the EU aid budget for developing countries.

Ruth Kelly: The Government believe it is vital that the EU puts development assistance to the most effective use and maintains flexibility in the budget to meet new international challenges such as Iraq. Research evidence strongly suggests that development assistance is most effective when focused on the poorest regions that want to reform, and on poverty reduction programmes. In addition, the ED, through its member states, is committed to meeting the Millennium Development Goals, placing poverty reduction at the heart of the Union's development objectives.
	However, the proportion of EU assistance spent on poverty reduction is still only around 50 per cent. (provisional figure for 2002). A substantial shift in favour of poorer regions, poverty programmes and quality is called for. To support this my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, presented at ECOFIN in May an action plan, designed to improve the effectiveness of EU development assistance, particularly in terms of poverty reduction and meeting the Millennium Development Goals. The action plan covers the remainder of the current Financial Perspective and seeks to ensure that reform is institutionalised after 2006.
	The action plan builds on the Commission's on-going reforms and has been well received by Finance Ministers and by the Commission. Some elements of it are already being implemented, albeit at the early stages. However, it will take time to bear fruit: the Government does not expect significant changes in the allocation of EU development assistance before 2007, when most assistance programmes are due for renewal. The Government will be working in ECOFIN and the General Affairs and External Relations Council, to pursue implementation of the plan.

Fair Trade Products

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is the policy of his Department to use fair trade products, as a matter of course, in (a) sales on Departmental premises and (b) receptions and meetings involving staff and visitors.

Ruth Kelly: The Treasury's catering contractor offers fair trade products for sale to staff. Such products are not used as a matter of course in catering for official functions.

Inland Revenue (IT System)

Richard Burden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the problems with the Inland Revenue's IT system to which paragraph 9 of the Government Response to the Treasury Committee's Tenth Report refers, on Inland Revenue Matters (HC 834) of Session 2002–03 have been resolved; and what corrective measures have been taken by the Inland Revenue to ensure that similar problems do not reoccur when end-of-year-reconciliation occurs.

Dawn Primarolo: The IT support for the new tax credits is a major system. Though there were a number of difficulties in the early days of live running, the system has been stable for some months with significantly improved performance. We have carefully reviewed our plans for future IT releases. An audit by independent IT consultants was commissioned as part of that review. Its results are informing the implementation of the next major IT releases, which will deliver the processes for finalising tax credit awards and renewing claims in 2004. We have also asked the consultants to support the Inland Revenue and its IT supplier in implementing the lessons learned from previous IT releases.

Parliamentary Questions

Eric Martlew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the average cost of answering (a) a written and (b) an oral parliamentary question.

Ruth Kelly: The average cost of answering a written parliamentary question was £135 in April 2002, as I announced in a written answer on 11 April 2003, Official Report, column 466W. The April 2002 figure for an oral question was £313. An annual uprating of these figures will take place in the new year.

Private Finance Initiative

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many Government construction projects with a net present value of £250 million or more are utilising (a) Private Finance Initiative methods and (b) conventional methods of procurement;
	(2)  if he will list the (a) value and (b) nature of each PFI construction contract being undertaken.

Paul Boateng: While construction is often a major element of a PFI project, it is not true for all. PFI procurement also involves design and maintenance of public facilities. We do not therefore breakdown contract value by the component parts and cannot therefore provide figures for PFI construction by value centrally. Individual departments may, however hold this information on an individual project basis.
	The Treasury does submit data on signed PFI projects to parliament biannually. This information, which includes the capital value and nature of each project, is submitted by departments and collated into a 'Signed Projects List' which is published on the Treasury's website www.hm-treasury.gov.uk.
	The most recent Signed Projects List states that there are 13 projects with a capital value of more than £250 million. I am happy to write to my hon. Friend with the details of these projects should he so wish. Departments do not submit information on the net present value of their projects.
	There is currently no central data source on the capital value or net present value of conventionally procured projects.

Private Finance Initiative

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  in how many Private Finance Initiative contracts the value of the cost estimates increased after the time at which the relevant department had established the identity of the contractor; what the increase in value was in each case; and what the percentage increase was in each case;
	(2)  if he will list the value of (a) the construction element and (b) the percentage added for risk when calculating the public sector comparator for each Private Finance Initiative contract which is being undertaken.

Paul Boateng: PFI covers a broad range of procurements across government. This means that there is no standard breakdown of a public sector comparator. The new green book provides Departments with further advice on how to incorporate optimism bias and risk calculations into the project appraisal process.
	The information requested by my hon. Friend is not held by the Treasury. Where available, information on individual PFI projects will be held by the procuring authority or sponsoring Department in question. Information on construction performance, both general and project specific, is also available on the NAO website at www.Nao.gov.uk

Public Sector Employment

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the stock of public sector jobs was in each region and nation in 1997; what the net change in such jobs in each region and nation has been in each year since 1997; and what the stock of such jobs was in each region for the most recent period for which figures are available.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Jim Cousins, dated 8 December 2003
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question about jobs in the public sector. (142329)
	Information about jobs in the public sector in the United Kingdom is compiled by the Office for National Statistics from returns made by public bodies. The latest available statistics are for 2002. The attached table shows the number of jobs in the public sector in each year from 1997 to 2002, together with the change from the previous year. Comparable information is not available for individual nations or regions.
	
		Public Sector Jobs in the UK -- Thousands, not seasonally adjusted
		
			  August 1997 August 1998 August 1999 August 2000 August 2001 August 2002 
		
		
			 Number of jobs 4,954 4,944 5,094 5,094 5,212 5,298 
			 Change on previous year — -10 150 0 118 86 
		
	
	Source:Administrative returns from public bodies

Public Sector Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many public sector employees are covered by index-linked pay; what their total pay has been for each year since 1997; and what it would have been if the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices had been applied.

Paul Boateng: Police are the only public sector employees whose pay is index linked. Individual employers and departments are responsible for the pay arrangements of particular groups of employees.

Public Sector Pensions

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many public sector pensioners are paid index-linked pensions; what the annual payouts to them were in each year since 1997; and what the payouts would have been if the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices index had been applied.

Paul Boateng: All public service pensions are increased annually in line with the retail prices index (RPI) directly under, or by analogy to, provisions of the Pensions (Increase) Act 1971 and section 59 of the Social Security Pensions Act 1975. In addition a number other schemes in the wider public sector may opt to provide full RPI, but no information is held centrally on these schemes.
	There are approximately 3.3 million pensions in payment to members of public service pension schemes or their dependants. Expenditure on public service pensions was about £20 billion in 2002–03.
	Expenditure for previous years can be found in the schemes' published resource and appropriation accounts. There are no plans to change the indexation of public service pensions from the RPI to the harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) and no analysis has been carried out on what the costs and benefits would be of doing so.

Research and Development Tax Credit

John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the take-up of the research and development tax credit in Scotland.

Dawn Primarolo: Research and development tax credits were introduced for small and medium companies in 2000. They were extended to all companies in 2002 and further improvements were made in 2003. No specific figures are available for Scotland, but the credits helped over 3,000 innovative SME companies nationally in 2001–02, the latest year for which complete data is available.

Regional Pay Flexibility

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library his guidance on regional flexibilities in pay.

Paul Boateng: I have already done so. The guidance is also accessible on the Treasury's website.

Regulations (Consultation)

Brian Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of regulations introduced by the Department have been subject to a consultation period of less than 12 weeks since the introduction of the Code of Practice on Consultations.

Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 21 October 2003 Official Report, column 489W.

Small Businesses (Consultation)

Brian Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department uses a database of individual small businesses for consultation purposes.

Ruth Kelly: HM Treasury uses a variety of methods to engage small businesses in consultation exercises. As well as being available on the department's website and through its public enquiries unit all consultation documents are also often circulated alongside the Budget and Pre-Budget Reports. Where appropriate, the department has used 'roadshows' or visits around the UK to further engage with interested parties, including small businesses. The department works closely with the DTI's Small Business Service, which maintains strong contacts with small businesses and acts as secretariat to the Small Business Council. As such the department maintains close relationships with many small businesses and their representatives, but does not maintain a single database for this purpose.

Tax Cases

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the tax cases involving United Kingdom companies which have been (a) decided and (b) entered for decision in the European Court of Justice in the last five years; and if he will estimate the net revenue effect in each case.

Dawn Primarolo: Notice is published in the Official Journal of the European Communities (C Series) of the commencement of all cases before the European Court of Justice, including tax cases. A summary of judgments of the court is also so published, and the full text is available on the Europa website. The Official Journal is available in the Library of the House.

Tax Revenue

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2003, Official Report, column 38W, if he will give separate figures for (a) Bournemouth and (b) Poole.

Dawn Primarolo: The requested information is given in the following table.
	
		Additional full-year yield of increasing the basic rate of tax by 1p in 2000–01 
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 Bournemouth Unitary Authority 7.7 
			 Poole Unitary Authority 6.9 
		
	
	Estimates are based upon the 2000–01 Survey of Personal Incomes. The effects of the illustrative changes can be scaled up or down over a reasonably wide range. The results exclude any behavioural response to the tax change.

Taxation

Edward Davey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) social security contributions and (b) taxes on income were as a percentage of household income in each year since 1999.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Edward Davey, dated 8 December 2003
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking for social security contributions and taxes on income as a percentage of household income. (142219)
	Estimates in the following table are taken from Table 3 in the analysis "The effects of taxes and benefits on household income 2001–02" produced by the Office for National Statistics and published on 21st October 2003 on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/taxesbenefits.
	The analysis includes measures of income inequality for the United Kingdom as a whole based on data from the Expenditure and Food Survey (EPS), formerly the Family Expenditure Survey (FES). This is a sample survey covering about 7,500 households in the UK. The Family Resources Survey would have been an alternative source with a larger sample size, or National Accounts estimates for the households and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH) sector, but the taxes and benefits analysis has been used for consistency with answers to other recent parliamentary questions.
	The table shows social security contributions and taxes on income as a percentage of gross income for UK households. Social security contributions are defined as employees' and self employed contributions to National Insurance and National Health Services. Taxes on income are defined as income tax less tax relief at source on life assurance premiums. Gross income includes income from earnings, occupational pensions and investments and cash benefits such as state retirement pensions and income support. It does not take account of deductions for taxes.
	
		Social security contributions and taxes on income as as a percentage of gross income for ALL households, 1999–2000 to 2001–02 -- United Kingdom
		
			  1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Social security contributions 3.9 3.8 3.8 
			 Taxes on income 13.4 13.7 13.8 
		
	
	Source:Office for National Statistics, based on the analysis 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income', published on the ONS website and in Economic Trends.

Top-up Fees

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of the Government's proposals for top-up fees on the operation of the Barnett Formula; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: Tuition fees are a devolved matter for the Scottish Executive. The Barnett Formula provides the devolved administrations with a population-based share of comparable increases in spending of Government Departments.

VAT (Places of Worship)

Sue Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will raise with his counterparts in the Council of Ministers the feasibility of a change to the rules preventing reduced rates of VAT for repair and maintenance of places of worship; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington, North (Helen Jones) on 18 September 2003, Official Report, column 971W.

Waste Generation

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans there are to bring forward a public service agreement target to reduce the amount of waste generated in the UK; and what discussions he has had with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on this subject in advance of the forthcoming Spending Round.

Paul Boateng: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs currently has a PSA target to enable 25 per cent. of household waste to be recycled or composted by 2005–06. We will be reviewing this target as part of Spending Review 2004.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Brighton and Hove Albion

Norman Baker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which directors of Brighton and Hove Albion football club (a) he has and (b) other Ministers in his Department have met since 1 January 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was set up in May 2002. No Ministers in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have held meetings with any directors of Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club since the Office was established.

Brighton and Hove Albion

Norman Baker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list those hon. Members from whom he has received oral representations in respect of the outstanding planning application relating to the possible construction of a football stadium at Falmer, East Sussex.

Keith Hill: I understand that the hon. Member appeared at the inquiry held into the proposals at Falmer. No other hon. Members have made oral representations on this case.

Consultation

Brian Cotter: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of regulations introduced by the Department have been subject to a consultation period of less than 12 weeks since the introduction of the Code of Practice on Consultations.

Yvette Cooper: The Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Written Consultation came into effect on 1 January 2001. In the period 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2002, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (and its predecessor, the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions) published 119 consultations under the Code, of which 18 were less than 12 weeks. Information on which consultations have led to regulation is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Council Housing

Stephen Byers: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much is held by each housing authority in receipts from the sale of council houses.

Keith Hill: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Defence Fire Service

Philip Hammond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the impact of a decision by the Ministry of Defence to privatise the Defence Fire Service on the Government's ability to provide emergency fire cover in the event of a future strike by civilian fire-fighters.

Phil Hope: No final decision has been made in relation to the Airfield Support Services Project. In evaluating bids consideration is being given to military assistance to the civil authority and military assistance to Government Departments.

Hazardous Waste

Sue Doughty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions his Department has held with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the planning requirements for the disposal of hazardous waste required by the EU Hazardous Waste Directive.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister works closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to achieve sustainable waste management and has contributed to the work of the Hazardous Waste Forum. The Forum has been set up by Government to bring together key stakeholders to advise on the way forward on the management of hazardous waste and has, among a number of matters, considered the waste planning and permitting processes for new facilities.

Hazardous Waste

Sue Doughty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the impact of delays in the implementation of the Hazardous Waste Requirements of the Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC) on the regeneration of brownfield sites required to meet housing targets.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is working to ensure that all policies affecting the re-development of brownfield land do not create unintended obstacles to regeneration. Discussions are currently taking place within Government, and with industry on the implications of the implementation of the Landfill Directive for the regeneration of brownfield sites.

Fire-fighters Pay Dispute

Philip Hammond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his estimate is of the net cost to Fire Authority employers of meeting the fire-fighters' pay settlement in (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05 and (c) 2005-06, taking account of financial savings from modernisation under the June agreement.

Phil Hope: The Independent Review of the Fire Service estimated that the net costs and savings of its proposals would be:
	2003–04: £25 million net cost
	2004–05: £4 million net cost
	2005–06: £34 million net saving
	The Local Government Association (LGA) has said that the fire-fighters' pay settlement will balance over the Spending Review 2002 period. The Government agrees but recognises that there may be a lag between costs and savings of modernisation. An additional £30 million transitional funding is therefore available for England and Wales, which will be released subject to satisfactory progress on on-going pay negotiations and modernisation and repaid by fire and rescue authorities over the Spending Review 2002 period.

Head of Land and Property

Philip Hammond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the post of Head of Land and Property in his Department has been filled.

Yvette Cooper: No.

Homes (Physical Disabilities)

Anne Begg: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to increase the number of appropriate homes for people with physical disabilities.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is increasing the number of appropriate homes for people with physical disabilities through adaptations to existing homes.
	Through the Disabled Facilities Grants (DFG) programme, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister continues to provide resources for local authorities to help disabled homeowners and tenants to pay for essential adaptations. Recently the level of funding has increased, giving authorities new, supplementary powers to help the disabled and issued draft guidance to local authorities to help them deliver a first class adaptations service.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is also increasing the number of appropriate homes for people with physical disabilities by ensuring newly built homes are accessible and convenient for everyone.
	All newly built homes must meet the requirements of 'Part M' of the building regulations, which the Government revised in 1999 to improve the accessibility and convenience of new housing. The revised regulations include requirements to ensure that entrances, lifts, corridors, doorways and WCs are accessible, including to wheelchair users.
	All new build schemes funded by the Government through the Housing Corporation must comply with the Corporation's scheme development standards which adopt criteria for accessibility and internal environments that help to make homes even more adaptable to long-term needs.

House Construction (Timber)

Norman Baker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance is given to the Housing Corporation regarding the use of timber in house construction to ensure that all timber used comes from legal and sustainable sources; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: The Housing Corporation sets out requirements and recommendations for all housing projects which receive Social Housing Grant (SHG) in its Scheme Development Standards. The Government works with the Housing Corporation on reviews of the Scheme Development Standards.
	The standards make clear that housing projects should endeavour to incorporate measures which aid environmental sustainability. Compliance and performance on environmental sustainability is tested using the EcoHomes assessment framework developed by the Building Research Establishment (BRE). The credit requirements under the EcoHomes assessment scheme include criteria for the use of timber from sustainably managed sources, or reused timber, in both the basic building elements and the finishing elements of homes.
	All new built homes funded by the Housing Corporation are required to achieve a BRE EcoHomes rating of 'Pass' as a minimum essential condition of grant and housing associations are encouraged to aim for the higher 'Good' rating. The Housing Corporation intends to increase the minimum requirement to a 'Good' rating from April 2005 with housing associations encouraged to aim for the higher 'Very Good' rating from the same date.

Housing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the withdrawal of local authority social housing grant on the rate of completion of affordable homes by Runnymede borough council.

Keith Hill: Local Authority Social Housing Grant (LASHG) has been abolished to allow the resources to be better targeted, in particular, to achieve the objectives set out in "Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future". Transitional arrangements over the 2003–04 to 2005–06 period are expected to provide around 14,000 homes but no estimates have been made on the impact this will have on the number of social housing dwellings provided, either in total or in particular locations. That will depend on a number of factors, including on what and where the available resources should be spent following the recommendations from the new Regional Housing Boards.

Housing

George Young: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many excess winter deaths he estimates could be avoided by bringing homes of vulnerable households up to minimum legislative standards; and what his estimate is of the cost of such work.

Keith Hill: In 2000–01 it was estimated that there were around 25,000 excess winter deaths. It is not possible to say how many of those were as a direct result of housing condition.
	The relationship between indoor temperatures and ill health is complex and the causes of excess winter deaths are not clear but cold weather and illnesses such as flu play an important part alongside other factors such as outside exposure and behavioural patterns.

Local Government Finance

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister in relation to Stage 1 of the Special Grants Programme from his Department for 2004–05, if he will (a) list the recipients and (b) the value of all grants awarded.

Yvette Cooper: No grants are awarded at Stage 1 of the Special Grants Programme. A number of Stage 1 applicants are prioritised and invited to submit full Stage 2 applications. Grants are awarded after Stage 2 applications have been appraised. The list of successful applicants and the amount awarded to each is published each year on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website. Successful applications to the 2004–05 competition will be announced early in 2004.

Local Government Finance

John Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many renewal areas have been established by local authorities in each of the last 10 years; and how many renewal areas were established between 18 July 2002 and 18 July 2003;
	(2)  how many renewal areas have been established since 18 July.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister records show that the following number of renewal areas were declared in each of the last 10 years:
	
		
			  Number of renewal areas declared 
		
		
			 1993 22 
			 1994 9 
			 1995 3 
			 1996 11 
			 1997 8 
			 1998 12 
			 1999 3 
			 2000 7 
			 2001 4 
			 2002 1 
		
	
	The Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order 2002 repealed the requirement for local authorities to send their declaration of renewal areas to my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister from 18 July 2002. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister therefore does not hold a record of the number of renewal areas declared after 18 July 2002.

Local Government Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has recently received on the funding settlement for (a) North Yorkshire county council and (b) district councils in North Yorkshire.

Phil Hope: Since the start of consultation on the provisional local government finance settlement 2004–05 on 19 November the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has received a representation from North Yorkshire county council and one from Scarborough borough council.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's proposals for the funding of local authority revenue spending provide local government overall with a 4.7 per cent. increase in general grant or, a like for like basis. This is the seventh successive year of real terms increases for local government and means that since 1997, we have increased grants to local authorities by some 29 per cent. in real terms.

Regional Assemblies

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will estimate the cost of (a) setting up and (b) the annual manning of a regional assembly.

Nick Raynsford: The information is as follows:
	(a) The actual cost of setting-up an elected regional assembly will vary from region to region, mainly because of the different sizes of their electorates and membership. It is expected to be around £30 million in each region. This estimate includes all costs necessary to establish an assembly, including the cost of referendums, local government reviews and the first elections.
	(b) The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister estimates that each assembly would cost around £25 million a year to run. But £5 million of this cost will be directly offset because staff will be transferring from existing bodies such as the region's Government Office. The remaining costs could be absorbed within the assembly's programme budget through efficiency savings of around 5 per cent. or less in larger regions.

Regional Assemblies

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to publish the full list of (a) powers and (b) functions of the proposed regional assemblies.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published the Regional Governance White Paper, Your Region, Your Choice Revitalising the English Regions in May 2002. This set out our proposals for elected regional assemblies for regions that chose to have them. The powers and functions of assemblies were set out in full in the White Paper.
	The Fire White Paper, "Our Fire and Rescue Service", published in June of this year, announced that responsibility for the fire and rescue service will transfer to a regional level in regions that choose to have an elected assembly.
	We hope to publish a draft Bill to establish elected regional assemblies before the referendums take place next autumn in the North East, the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber.

Regional Assemblies

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to set a minimum percentage participation threshold in referendums for regional assemblies for the result to be acted upon; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 11 November 2003, Official Report, column 256W.

Regional Assemblies

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister in what circumstances the referendums on regional assemblies would be held after October 2004.

Nick Raynsford: It is the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's firm intention to hold referendums in the three northern regions in the autumn of 2004. But before that can happen, the Boundary Committee for England must make its recommendations on restructuring the local government of two tier areas in those regions and Parliament must approve Orders under sections 1 and 2 of the Regional Assemblies (Preparations) Act 2003.
	Sections 103 and 109 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 mean that there will need to be at least 10 weeks between the Orders being approved and the referendums being held.

Regional Assemblies

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he will take to maximise turnout in the proposed regional assembly referendums.

Phil Hope: The regional assembly referendums are being held by all-postal ballot. Recent all-postal ballots pilots in local government elections have produced increased turnout.
	The Electoral Commission is empowered under the Regional Assemblies (Preparations) Act 2003 to encourage voting.
	My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister and my right hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government, Regional Governance and Fire launched an information campaign in the North East, North West and Yorkshire and Humber on the 3 and 4 November. The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness of the referendums and the issues around them. Further events will be held over the next year. Referendums websites have been established for each of the regions and copies of our explanatory leaflet will be widely available.

Regional Assemblies

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what events he plans to hold in East Lancashire to promote the benefits of a North West Regional Assembly.

Phil Hope: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister and my right hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government, Regional Governance and Fire launched the 'Your Say' information campaign for the North West in Warrington on 4 November. This was the start of a continuing information campaign to raise awareness of elected regional assemblies and the responsibilities that they will have, before the referendums.
	Ministers will visit the North West, including East Lancashire, to continue this awareness raising information campaign.

Regional Assemblies

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects the Electoral Commission to decide on the level of grant to award to designated organisations representing both sides in the regional assembly referendums.

Phil Hope: This is a matter for the Electoral Commission.

Street Wardens (Suffolk)

Richard Spring: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the sources of funding are for street warden schemes in Suffolk; and how much funding is being received by each source in 2003–04.

Yvette Cooper: Street warden schemes can be funded from a number of sources such as the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's warden programme, local authorities, housing associations and businesses. Suffolk's two street warden schemes, in Bury St. Edmunds and Lowestoft, and Ipswich have been allocated funding for 2003–04 from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of £121,000 and £53,000 respectively. Match funding comes from Suffolk county council, St. Edmundsbury borough council and the local CDRP and Ipswich local authority.

Sustainable Development

Helen Clark: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what action the Green Minister in his Department is taking to ensure that his bid to the forthcoming Government spending round contributes towards the United Kingdom's objectives on sustainable development.

Phil Hope: Sustainable development has been identified by Her Majesty's Treasury (HMT) as a key thematic issue for SR2004. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's submission for SR2004, to support the creation of sustainable communities, will be framed in that context.

Tenancy Deposit Scheme

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the estimated minimum potential cost of independent adjudication is under a tenancy deposit scheme.

Keith Hill: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 13 November 2003, Official Report, column 461W. There are no estimates of minimum cost.

Tenancy Deposit Scheme

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his assessment is of the potential benefits of a tenancy deposit scheme.

Keith Hill: In financial terms, we estimate that the amount of deposit currently wrongly withheld from tenants (which they would receive under a compulsory deposit protection scheme) is £20.1 million per year.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Trespass

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will introduce measures to strengthen the ability of property and land owners to take legal action against persons entering their land or premises without permission; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: The current law already provides property and landowners with the right to take legal action against trespassers where appropriate. Landowners whose property boundary has been breached by an unlawful visitor may seek an injunction to restrain the continuation of the trespass. The landowner may also have a legal cause of action for any damage suffered because of the trespass. The Government currently has no plans to review the law in this area.

Electoral Commission

Denzil Davies: To ask the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many persons were interviewed for the position of Chair of the Electoral Commission when it was first established.

Christopher Leslie: There was not a separate application process for the position of Chair of the Electoral Commission. An open competition was held and applicants were asked to indicate if they wished to be considered for Chair and/or as a member. As a result of this process 16 people were invited to attend an interview, and the selection panel determined which, of those that had shown an interest in the position, should get the job of Chair.

Court Fines

Simon Hughes: To ask the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many and what value of court-imposed fines were defaulted on in (a) each London borough and (b) England in each year since 1997.

Christopher Leslie: holding answer 2 December 2003
	Magistrates' Courts Committees (MCCs) have a responsibility for the collection of a range of debts imposed by both the magistrates' courts and the Crown Court. Data on the number of court imposed fines are not collected at present. Information on the value of fines is available only from 1999–2000 when a new data collection procedure was implemented. The debt collected includes not only fines, but also fees, compensation, confiscation orders, legal aid contributions and some maintenance orders. It is not yet possible to separate out fines only from the total so the figures provided in the following table include all the elements above. The data available covers Greater London only as separate data are not available for each London borough. Also, separate data are not available for England only, so information provided is for England and Wales.
	
		Debt Analysis for 1999–2003 -- £ million
		
			  1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Greater London  
			 Amount imposed in period 95.0 76.6 77.6 111.3 
			 Amount paid in period 46.4 39.4 35.5 44.5 
			 Closing balance owed(49) 111.2 118.5 116.1 145.0 
			 Total arrears at year end 61.9 60.6 53.3 72.3 
			  
			 England and Wales 
			 Amount imposed in period 431.1 385.0 387.0 425.9 
			 Amount paid in period 267.3 242.5 228.1 236.3 
			 Closing balance owed(49) 417.5 419.1 439.0 486.7 
			 Total arrears at year end 227.4 225.9 246.5 276.9 
		
	
	(49) Including amounts not yet due

Court Fines

Tim Loughton: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what proportion of fines imposed have been collected by courts in each county in each of the last five years.

Christopher Leslie: Information on the proportion of fines imposed that have been collected is not available for each county. The information provided is for the 42 Magistrates' Courts Committees (MCCs) in England and Wales. A new data collection procedure was implemented in 1999–2000 and comparable figures are therefore only available from that period.
	In addition, earlier this year, I agreed to a revision of the fine enforcement payment rate target so that it provides a far clearer focus for the performance of those involved in this vitally important area.
	The April to September column of the table sets out year-to-date performance on the basis of the new formula which excludes things like confiscation orders.
	Further management information is awaited for the rest of the business year before we can be certain that the improvement in performance we expect is fully delivered. Nevertheless, we now have a much more robust baseline data on performance and early signs are encouraging.
	
		Original payment rate by MCC -- Percentage
		
			 MCC 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04(50) 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 41 62 54 64 86 
			 Bedfordshire 55 55 58 58 82 
			 Cambridgeshire 63 52 36 45 150 
			 Cheshire 73 67 58 56 84 
			 Cleveland 83 69 54 47 84 
			 Cumbria 80 76 76 74 98 
			 Derbyshire 63 67 58 58 73 
			 Devon and Cornwall 69 73 70 63 78 
			 Dorset 71 74 89 76 76 
			 Durham 68 67 75 74 80 
			 Dyfed Powys 96 100 73 65 67 
			 Essex 79 76 75 74 94 
			 Gloucestershire 68 60 43 84 128 
			 Greater London 49 51 46 40 62 
			 Greater Manchester 53 60 61 64 55 
			 Gwent 69 67 66 57 87 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 79 67 68 77 98 
			 Hertfordshire 76 75 59 67 54 
			 Humberside 71 65 71 67 120 
			 Kent 50 61 64 61 80 
			 Lancashire 69 65 68 63 81 
			 Leicestershire 73 63 62 69 75 
			 Lincolnshire 66 97 76 59 73 
			 Merseyside 52 47 34 33 48 
			 Norfolk 70 69 74 75 75 
			 North Wales 55 51 69 53 104 
			 North Yorkshire 79 82 75 78 90 
			 Northamptonshire 59 62 52 63 107 
			 Northumbria 65 61 62 59 75 
			 Nottinghamshire 80 70 65 65 58 
			 South Wales 59 56 40 52 80 
			 South Yorkshire 65 73 66 61 76 
			 Staffordshire 85 90 73 57 82 
			 Suffolk 72 77 70 69 90 
			 Surrey 74 58 79 81 80 
			 Sussex 93 63 62 62 113 
			 Thames Valley 63 62 75 69 58 
			 Warwickshire 73 71 46 87 108 
			 West Mercia 89 62 48 71 82 
			 West Midlands 58 64 58 49 55 
			 West Yorkshire 68 71 86 47 50 
			 Wiltshire 82 83 67 68 92 
			   
			 England and Wales 61 63 59 55 72(51) 
		
	
	(50) April to September.
	(51) The basis on which the payment rate is calculated has been changed. The new payment rate ensures that confiscation orders (these are not fines) are excluded, and that judicially cancelled amounts are taken into account.

Illegal Meat Imports

Tim Loughton: To ask the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidance has been issued to magistrates on dealing with cases of illegal meat imports.

Christopher Leslie: My Department has issued no guidance to magistrates' on dealing with cases of illegal meat imports. However, on 3 November 2002, the Magistrates' Association made available on it's website a document entitled "Costing the Earth", which included guidance for sentencers and a case study on illegal meat imports. The Judicial Studies Board has been asked, in consultation with the Magistrates' Association and the Justices' Clerks Society, to consider this matter.

Illegal Meat Imports

Tim Loughton: To ask the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidance is available to clerks of court on dealing with cases involving illegal meat imports.

Christopher Leslie: My Department has issued no guidance to court clerks on dealing with cases of illegal meat imports. The Justices' Clerks Society has been asked, in consultation with the Judicial Studies Board and the Magistrates' Association, to consider this matter further.

Judges (Training)

Graham Allen: To ask the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans he has to introduce (a) training programmes and (b) examinations for judges, with particular reference to shorthand for use during court proceedings.

Christopher Leslie: Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial Studies Board (JSB), an independent body chaired by Lord Justice Keene. The JSB already provides a full programme of training for judges. It has no plans to provide training in shorthand. Neither are there plans to introduce formal examinations for the judiciary. An appraisal system is, however, already in place for a number of part-time judicial post-holders.

Juries

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure the impartiality of juries.

Christopher Leslie: Juries play a vital role in the criminal justice system. The Government are committed to ensuring that jurors are impartial; that the risk of jury tampering is minimised; and that jury panels are representative of their community.
	There are a variety of safeguards in place to ensure that juries try cases fairly, impartially and in accordance with the evidence presented at trial (and only in accordance with that evidence). For example, jurors are randomly selected; they are told (in jury leaflets and videos shown on arrival at court) that they must disclose any connection with the people involved in the trial and tell court officials if anyone tries to influence them in their decision. This last point is being reinforced by the introduction of posters in all Crown Courts advising jurors they are to report any attempts made on them to influence their decisions.
	Jurors are also required to swear an oath, the message of which is reinforced by directions from the trial judge at the end of the trial. It is also common practice for the judge, at the outset of the trial, to inform jurors that they can at any time, including during deliberations, raise questions or concerns with him or her.
	The Criminal Justice Act 2003 contains measures which will provide for a trial to be conducted without a jury where there is evidence of a real and present danger of jury tampering, or continued without a jury where the jury has been discharged because of jury tampering.